Undertale: REWIND
by SabrinaSelene
Summary: It's been 3 good months of life on the surface with everyone. However, Frisk is discontent and desperately yearns to save Asriel. Suddenly, this wish is made possible with their discovery of a new ability "REWIND", all the way back to when the Royal Family still included Chara as one of them ... Status: COMPLETE (Cover image by R.B)
1. Prologue

**A/N : Disclaimer here before I start. I do not own Undertale or any of these beautiful characters. Everything that's going to happen in this fanfiction is just fiction and none of it should be taken to be canon. ^^ Now, without further ado, please enjoy my first Undertale fanfic, REWIND!**

* * *

"Sans …"

Grillby looked at him with a look of realisation. Sans gulped, feeling self conscious although he was in such a familiar place. Then again, the last customer had left, leaving the two of them alone.

Sans averted his eyes from Grillby and glanced at the CLOSED sign hung in front of the double glass doors to "Grillby's (Up-grub!)"

"Looks like it's been pretty successful, huh," he said nervously.

"Sans …" Grillby put down his towel on the chair next to him and started advancing slowly, while loosening his bowtie.

"Err … Grillby?" Sans hesitated and took a step back. "Can you just forget what I said?"

"Sans!" Grillby looked offended and his flames rose higher as Sans started to perspire from the heat and his embarrassment.

"Wait! I take it back … I'm sorry! I said it on impulse!" Sans stammered, "I didn't mean for you to take it in that way - it's not a confession, I'm just saying we - uhhh … we're great buddies and I -"

"SANS!"

"AARGH!" Sans shot up to a stinging on his left cheek. Breathing heavily, he realised it was night time and he was in his room, sitting up on his bed. He noticed a dark outline sitting beside his legs and scrambled to the side to switch on the night light.

"Frisk?!" He stared at them in confusion as they stared sheepishly back.

"I'm sorry …" Frisk whispered, "I was trying to wake you - did it hurt?"

Sans touched his left fingers to his cheek. The sting of the slap had gone; he guessed Frisk had tried to hold back. "Nah, kid. But you shouldn't be here at 1am in the morning. How did you get in?"

Frisk swung their leg over and hopped off the bed before pointing to the open window by the side of San's bed. "I climbed through the window."

Sans frowned. "Uhh. My bedroom is on the second floor. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Sorry …"

He sighed, "Welp, no harm done I guess. What do you need, kiddo?"

Frisk looked away and twiddled their thumbs. After a slight pause, they looked at Sans with a serious expression, "I … I want to save Asriel."

"Everybody does, kid -"

"But I actually mean it. I want to try!"

Sans was taken aback at the forcefulness of Frisk's tone but he regained composure. "Why the sudden desire?"

Frisk shuffled their feet from side to side and looked down, "I couldn't sleep very well at night. I kept seeing Asriel in my dreams … He's so lonely, Sans. It's been 3 months … but I still hear him calling out to me so …" Their voice became even softer, "... I came up with a plan."

"C'mere, kid." Sans extended his arm and Frisk moved over to sit beside Sans on the bed. "You should have told us sooner. Does Toriel know?"

Frisk shook their head.

"And I suppose she doesn't know about this lil' midnight adventure, either." Sans chuckled as Frisk scratched their head sheepishly.

"Don't tell her."

"I won't, kid. But for now, I'm gonna walk you back home," said Sans gesturing for Frisk to stand up. He too, stood, grabbed the house keys and crossed the floor to open the door. "We can all hear about this plan in the morning, okay?"

Frisk nodded wordlessly and followed Sans as they exited his house. The walk home was silent but not uncomfortable. Sans didn't know how Frisk was feeling at this moment but he himself, was reflecting on how things ended after getting to the surface. Everyone was elated and had a blast of a time settling in. Over the months, the humans and monsters had really managed to integrate and live together harmoniously so that was heartwarming to see.

But he guessed Frisk always felt someone was missing, that someone had been left behind, and that's why they kept getting dreams of Asriel calling out to them.

Sans suddenly felt a tug on his jacket and looked down to see the kid gesturing they had reached Toriel's.

"Oh. Uhhh ... goodnight then, kid," Sans said a little disoriented from being snapped out of this thoughts. "No more sneaking around, yeah?"

"Okay," Frisk nodded and went up the steps to the door. They turned the knob quietly and pushed it open. Then, Frisk stopped and looked back at Sans.

"Yeah?"

"Sans, why were you saying Grillby's name in your sleep?" Frisk cocked their head to the side in genuine curiosity.

Sans, caught off guard, panicked. "Errr ... I was hungry. Wanted some Grillby's … dreamt of food."

There was long pause before Frisk cheerfully said, "I see! Goodnight and thank you, Sans."

He waved as they slipped into the darkness of the house, the door closing behind them. Then he let out a sigh of relief and wiped the perspiration off his forehead, glad that Frisk couldn't see he was blushing in the dark.

Sans turned around and walked back down the path reminding himself to advise Toriel to lock the doors at night from now on.

* * *

It was the next morning and instead of heading to school, Toriel was hastily making her way to Sans' and Papayrus' house, feeling glad they all lived on the same street which was convenient for emergencies like this.

She thought back at what Frisk said at breakfast this morning and wondered if she should have just called the brothers over instead of going to their place and leaving Frisk alone at home.

Toriel had noticed something wrong immediately when Frisk sat down for breakfast. They looked far away and hardly touched the pancakes (which they absolutely love) so she had thought at first, the child could be sick.

"What's wrong, dear? Are you unwell?" She asked.

Frisk looked up from their plate and shook their head slowly.

Toriel frowned, "is everything okay then? You can tell me anything, child."

Frisk hesitated and put down their fork. Then they said something that almost stopped Toriel's heart.

"I want to save Asriel."

Toriel froze. She wasn't sure she heard Frisk correctly until they repeated themself, this time adding on extra information about a plan they had thought of. Frisk asked if she wanted to hear it.

"Child, Asriel … Asriel is - he, he is no longer …" Toriel struggled to find her words. Asriel … her son, he has gone a long time ago. What could Frisk do?

She realised she had asked this question out loud and quickly covered her mouth. But Frisk, unfazed, replied, "I think … I'm planning to reset everything and save him … somehow."

Toriel stared at them. She vaguely recalled Frisk admitting to everyone a few days after getting to the surface that they had this queer … ability to reset the timeline? Frisk couldn't quite explain it and Toriel didn't understand much of it but she knew she was wary and skeptical of this … ability.

She still is.

"Child. I love you very much. With you here, I can finally start anew and leave my past behind. There is no need for you to change anything," Toriel said, hugging Frisk.

"I don't know much about your special ability but please don't use it, okay? I'm happy like this. Aren't you?" Toriel pulled away a little, searching their face.

Frisk couldn't help but be overcome with love for her adoptive mother and gave a small smile, nodding in reply. Toriel sighed and pulled Frisk back into the hug, kissing them lightly on the forehead.

A minute later, after Toriel made Frisk promise they'd finish their breakfast, she said she had to leave for work, bidding Frisk goodbye. She made sure she had left slightly earlier so that she could drop by at Sans' and Papyrus'. Despite Frisk appearing to be genuinely happy about the way things are now, Toriel just couldn't shake off that feeling of worry.

Arriving at the house, she rang the doorbell and knocked.

"Who's there?" Came a voice from inside a few seconds later. It sounded a little hoarse but it was recognisably Sans'.

A memory flashed in Toriel's head and she grinned, "Dozen!"

"Dozen who?" There was a note of anticipated delight in the voice now.

"Dozen anybody want to let me in?" Toriel finished and then broke out in laughter at the same time the voice did.

There was a click as the door unlocked, revealing Sans in his shirt and shorts. His grin spread wider seeing Toriel and invited her in.

"What brings you here so early in the morning?" He asked.

Toriel's smile faded slightly as she thought of breakfast. Taking a deep breath in, she started, "Frisk was telling me about saving Asriel in the morning …"

"Asriel?"

Toriel nodded. "Yes. I fear they are planning to use their, their … reset ability to do that."

Sans lifted a non-existent eyebrow, "I see …"

"I don't know what I can do … Frisk seems to be happy here now, but I can't help but worry," Toriel continued. "Sometimes I feel I'm a bad mother because I don't understand them completely."

Sans patted Toriel's back. "Nah. You're doing a fine job as it already is. Kids grow up and come up with interesting ideas all the time. Don't let it get to ya."

Toriel nodded but turned towards Sans. In a sombre tone, she said "I still need your help though." Then she quickly added, "You seem to understand Frisk better than I do at times. Please, will you and Papyrus keep an eye out for them today?"

"You mean an eye socket?" Sans grinned wider. "Sure. Count on us."

When Toriel left for her work after thanking him, Sans thought about what he had just promised.

Does that mean they had to babysit Frisk for the whole day?

* * *

Sans sighed, walking down the same path to Toriel's. She said she had left the door unlocked so he could let himself in.

And he thought Frisk was too trusting of a person.

Papyrus had wanted to come along as well but he actually had work to do (as a law enforcer) so he couldn't make it. Instead, he made some spaghetti for Sans and Frisk both.

"So you and the Human can think of me while you are eating!" Papyrus said with pride as he handed Sans the packaged spaghetti he put in a bag.

Sans let out a small chuckle. Papyrus still calls Frisk, "Human" despite being surrounded by so many other humans on the surface. Papyrus addresses everyone else by name, but with Frisk, he never changed their nickname which everyone found to be adorable. Even though Toriel had initially frowned upon it, thinking Papyrus was ostracising them. However, she quickly realised he was subconsciously calling Frisk, "Human" out of affection.

Speaking of which, Sans wondered if he did the right thing, not telling Toriel about last night. Then again, it wasn't like she didn't know what Sans knew now. Frisk had after all, dutifully told her what they had told Sans in the middle of the night.

But, he was still slightly troubled by Frisk's plan, and it was in this state of mind when Sans reached the door. He knocked on it, just to be polite … but he heard no one reply. Convinced Frisk was perhaps upstairs in their room, he opened the door and went inside.

"Kid? It's Spaghetti Delivery with your order that you never placed."

He paused, hearing his echo off the walls.

Boy, he thought. This place needs some furniture. The living room had only two maroon armchairs, a coffee table, a medium-sized bookshelf and a rug.

However, he wasn't here to inspect and judge Toriel and Frisk's taste in decor so he started on the stairs to Frisk's room. No one replied just now; perhaps they were sleeping? If so, would it be right to wake them? A memory of what happened last night flashed in his head and he thought wryly, well, they certainly don't care about waking monsters up in the middle of the night …

He knocked on the door gently but it swung open on the first knock. Sans peered inside. No one. Feeling a little confused, he pushed it wider open to poke his head in.

There was a bed, a lamp, a drawer, a wardrobe and even a poster of Mettaton holding his Best TV Personality of the Year Award. Yet, there was no sign of Frisk.

"Hey, kid. If you are hiding and planning to scare me. It ain't funny," Sans warned lightly, inspecting once again, all four corners of the room before looking suspiciously up and down the hallway he was standing in.

Five seconds of silence later, he dropped the pasta and started to go on a search for the human child.

Well, isn't this nostalgic?

* * *

Frisk was silently making out shapes with the clouds, a usual morning routine before lunch.

Lunch, they thought. _It would be nice if I could have some of Papyrus' spaghetti._

His cooking has really improved under the patient tutelage of Undyne.

Then Frisk spotted, in the midst of the passing clouds, a plate of spaghetti. They smiled. At first, upon reaching the surface after so long, they could only make out shapes of sheep, flowers and fish. Now they're getting better at spotting other things. Other more … surface-related things.

They stretched out on the grass, closing their eyes and feeling the soft soil on their skin, the gentle breeze on their face and the warm of the sun. Oh how they had missed the surface!

Yet … Frisk also missed the charm of the Underground. It was definitely the friends they made there that added to the magic and beauty of the place.

But most of all, Frisk missed Asriel.

They opened their eyes, looking back up at the fluffy clouds. All of them were drifting to the right. They wondered, as they imagined the clouds rewinding and moving leftwards instead, if they could reset to when Chara was still in Mt. Ebott and save Asriel.

So far, Frisk had only been able to reset to the beginning of their journey through the Undergound. Do they have the ability to reset all the way back to Chara's journey? Was that even possible?

Suddenly, a shadow fell across their face. "Heya, kid."

A voice pulled Frisk out from their thoughts. They sat up, realising that Sans was standing in front of them.

"I forgot you guys had a backyard. Looked out of the window from the second floor and saw you there. You really had me worried for a sec …" Sans trailed off, noticing Frisk eyeing the bag he was holding.

"Spaghetti. From Papyrus," said Sans, holding out the bag to Frisk.

"Thank you," they happily accept, reaching into the bag for the pasta and cutlery (which Sans had grabbed before heading to Frisk).

Sans watched as Frisk ate Papyrus' spaghetti in contentment. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Kid, you like the surface, don't ya? You don't want to reset because you want to live in the Underground, right?"

Frisk looked up at Sans, pausing in mid-bite and shook their head.

Sans sighed and sat down next to them. "So … it's really because you want to save Asriel?"

They nodded in reply.

"Then, why did you enter the Underground in the first place?"

Frisk stopped eating, looking stunned by the directness of the question. They slowly set down the spaghetti, unsure of how they should answer. They pretend they don't see the penetrating gaze from Sans, awaiting their reply.

Deliberately looking at the grass, they finally answered, "I fell … by accident. I was being chased … and I slipped and fell. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"You were being chased?" Sans pressed.

"Back then, kids at school bully me a lot," Frisk cast a sidelong glance at Sans before quickly looking away. "I didn't know how to deal with it. I just ran … That day, when I fell, they were trying to catch me to throw me into a lake."

Sans felt defensive. This kid did not deserve such horrible treatment from others. "Why did you not tell anyone about this?"

"I … was an orphan. I didn't have anyone to turn to."

Sans reached over to pat Frisk's back. That explains their social anxiety which Toriel and Frisk gave as their reason to have Frisk homeschooled at night when Toriel returned from work. Some trauma of school and interacting with other children must have remained … He guessed the only reason why Frisk was able to make such great friends in the Underground, was probably because they were monsters, not humans, and thus Frisk had no fear of them.

How this kid had so much compassion for others though, he could not figure out. Even for someone they had barely just met … like Asriel. Perhaps they can really save him after all. Frisk is definitely tougher than they look and possibly the most determined being in this timeline.

"I am going to reset everything," said Frisk suddenly, as if reading Sans' mind. "All the way to Chara's time."

Sans looked at Frisk with a mix of slight amusement and curiosity. "And how are you gonna achieve that?"

Frisk faltered, "I was hoping you could tell me …"

Sans chuckled. This kid was sharp too, picking up on his knowledge of the timelines.

"Hey, kid. I don't know how much you know, but I know that you don't know messing with Time causes huge anomalies. You resetting to the beginning of your journey into the Underground once or twice is enough to cause tiny ruptures in the continuum. But to reset all that way back?" Sans shook his head. "How are you so sure Time won't backfire on ya?"

Frisk bit their lip. "I don't know but … I have to try. I cannot leave Asriel behind without trying! He deserves every bit of the happiness we enjoy now, doesn't he?"

"Sure. But even if you could save him, how are you planning to reset that far back in the first place?"

"I've not attempted - but I probably could. If I put my mind to it and … go back …"

Frisk and Sans both looking at each other. But before he could say another word, Frisk stood up, brushing off the dust from their body.

Then they became completely quiet, completely still as they closed their eyes …

* * *

The backyard before them disappeared as they closed their eyes.

First, there was darkness. Frisk couldn't see anything. Frisk couldn't hear anything. It was as if they were underwater. Everything was muted to silence.

Focus. Frisk told themself. You cannot lose your concentration here. Usually a reset was much easier than this. The option would glow clearly in their mind and they'd reach out and … just do it.

But now, there was just emptiness. Frisk needed to remind themself why this reset was necessary.

Think. Think of everyone smiling, finally free and content on the surface. Everyone but Asriel.

Think. Think of Asriel born into the arms of Toriel and Asgore. How nice it would be to hear their laughter on the surface!

Think! Think of Flowey, an imprint of Asriel's memories. An echo of his being … confining himself to an eternity of solitude for repentance.

 _I need to save them. I must save them all._

Suddenly, an orange glow emerged in their mind. Faint, but discernable in the darkness.

Frisk held on to it, held on to the glow, representing their desire, and Asriel's too, to see the surface, to be saved.

The glow grew stronger. It started to gain shape, forming a box and some letters.

Frisk didn't let go.

Finally, the word "REWIND" appeared, glowing bright and pulsating with their heartbeat.

Frisk's eyes flew open, turning their head towards Sans as the REWIND option disappeared momentarily. They started breathlessly, voice shaking with both excitement and fear. "I see it. A chance to go back. Sans -"

At this point, Sans already knew what was happening and held his hands up in surrender. "I can't do anything to stop you, kid. I believe you can do the right thing. If this is the right thing to you, then go ahead."

"Sans …"

"Toriel's gonna kill me though …" Sans somehow managed a sad smile despite his cheery appearance.

Frisk, overwhelmed, threw their arms around the skeleton, hugging tight. Sans, though surprised at first, returned it sincerely.

"You know, there was a time when I lost faith in humans because of Chara," he said, still hugging them. "But ya know, kid, you helped me gain trust in them again. So I believe in you."

"I'm going to miss you and everyone else …" Frisk whispered, their throat tight. "… so, so much."

Then they both pulled away and Sans gave a small laugh. "You'll see me and the rest soon."

Frisk nodded and gave Sans a shaky smile.

He stretched out his hand and they shook it, reminiscent of how they first met.

"Welp. See ya soon, kid."

Then they both let go and Frisk closed their eyes, summoning the REWIND option once more. Back to Mt. Ebbot in Chara's time. Frisk firmly told themself.

And just after they reached out to touch the boxed word, they heard a distant voice fading away before blacking out.

"I'll miss ya, kid."


	2. SAVE Point: 1

**A/N: I just want to clear up a few things about my chapter names. The name of each chapter will be the name of the save Frisk reaches at the end of the chapter, just thought you guys may want to know, haha. Once again, I do not own Undertale or its characters even though I wish I could. :( But alas, they belong solely to genius mastermind, creator - Toby Fox.**

* * *

When Frisk gained consciousness, they felt themself falling for a brief moment before finally hitting hard ground. Frisk felt like the wind had just been knocked out of them. Breathing hard to get air back in their lungs, they slowly opened their eyes and found themself looking at a opening of light from the bottom of what seemed like a pit. Sitting up, Frisk saw that they had returned to the bottom of Mount Ebbot, where everything first started. It was the same patch of grass, same foliage around the same rocky walls surrounding them.

A sense of nostalgia came over Frisk as tears welled up in their eyes (partly due to emotion, and partly due to pain).

Frisk stood up and brushed off the dirt. They didn't remember the fall being so painful. And that's when they noticed the patch of grass they had fallen on didn't have golden flowers. This was different. Does that mean that Frisk had done it? Did they successfully rewind the timeline back to when Chara was here?

Only one way to find out, Frisk thought and started walking towards the Ruins.

Upon entering it, Frisk realised that Flowey wasn't there to greet them so this was different too. Significantly so. The Ruins itself on the other hand, seem to be unchanged. Frisk continued walking through it, looking out for Flowey or Toriel. The puzzles were still here and they solved them easily, having done so, many times before.

Then, Frisk turned a corner and stumbled across a Froggit which hopped closer to them.

"Froggit -" Frisk barely had time to register its presence before feeling the familiar tug on their soul as they were pulled into battle.

Frisk smiled at the Froggit, "Hello there!"

The Froggit hopped up and down excitedly, "Human!" Then, it looked confused, "Another human?"

A drizzle of flies displaced by the Froggit's hopping came towards Frisk and they narrowly dodged everything while noting the question. Another human? Does that mean …

"Chara?" Frisk asked. "Are they here?"

There was another shower of flies before the Froggit answered, "Chara! Royal family! Friends move to New Home!"

"Thank you!" Frisk replied gratefully then paused before saying, "Your skin looks so clear today by the way!"

The Froggit excitedly bounded towards Frisk who dodged the attack and waved bye as the Froggit finally hopped away with a new sense of confidence.

They stared after the Froggit for a moment, thinking about it's answer. So they've done it! Chara was in the Underground and now all they had to do is find them.

The New Home … Frisk thought. It's been a long time. That's all the way to Asgore's castle too.

They made their way through the Ruins, encountering several other Froggits and Moldsmals. Everyone seemed surprised to see another human in the Underground, but they were definitely less suspicious of them than the last time Frisk had fallen into the Underground. Everyone seemed more playful and curious instead. Could this have been Chara's impact on the Underground? Or more specifically, the impact of the Royal Family adopting them?

It was a weird mix of emotions Frisk was feeling when they reached Toriel's Home.

The place was empty and slightly dusty from disuse. Although, it didn't look like it had been abandoned for an extremely long time, considering that everything (the taps, the fireplace) was still in working condition. Frisk entered the room that they were first shown into by Toriel and saw that everything was still the same as when they first came here, save for a few toys scattered across the floor. Frisk sighed wistfully as they picked up a broken doll to put into the toybox.

However, as they bent down to place the doll inside, they noticed several broken toy knives at the bottom of the box. Frisk couldn't help but shiver. So their hunch was right. This used to be Chara's room. Although Frisk still couldn't decide if Asriel had also shared the room with them. But that was beside the point. To think that Chara owned such items and to actually see it in front of them was completely different … It felt so real. Chara was no longer a story, but a real character that exists in their time. Honestly, the thought of meeting them scared Frisk to an extent. They still had no clue as to how they were going to convince Chara to change their mind about the whole Destruction-of-Humanity thing.

Frisk tore their eyes away from the knives and busied themself with picking up the rest of the toys from the floor to put into the toybox. Then, they proudly inspected the somewhat cleaner room. Suddenly, Frisk caught eye of the cupboard beside the bed. The first time Frisk entered Toriel's Home, they didn't look into the cupboard. Now, curiosity had taken ahold of Frisk … They walked over and yanked it open.

Nothing.

It was completely empty, with the exception of a few cobwebs. Frisk was slightly disappointed as they had hoped they might find something that could perhaps, give a hint as to what Chara was like … besides being a genocidal little child, of course.

Then, as Frisk closed the cupboard doors, they realised there was a drawer at the bottom of the cupboard. Reaching down, they tried to open it but found that it was locked. Something tells Frisk, however, whatever that might be inside was important. Thus, began the search for a drawer key.

After several minutes of searching the room, however, Frisk couldn't find anything. They had looked everywhere … between the shelves, under the bed, behind the lamp … It was beginning to feel like their efforts were futile. The key may not even be in the room. Frisk was just about to give up when they caught sight of the drawing of a golden flower hanging on the wall. Call it intuition or luck, but Frisk felt drawn to the picture and crossed the floor within two seconds. They realised the picture was only stuck to the wall from the top, and so they turned up the bottom, revealing a long crack in the concrete wall with something silver resting in between ...

Excitedly, Frisk reached for the shiny item and deftly pulled it out. It was a silver key!

And sure enough, it unlocked the drawer with a small click. Within it, to Frisk's surprise, was a tattered green diary with ornate, gold, floral patterns. Cautiously, Frisk picked it up and turned it around in their hands, frowning when they realised it also had a lock at the side that prevented them from opening it. Frisk attempted to open it with the silver key but it wouldn't fit. The lock was much too small for it.

A second hunt for a key began once again. However, this time, despite searching not just the room but the entire house, it yielded no results. Frisk was getting impatient. They were sure this diary belonged to Chara and reading it, though arguably morally wrong, might reveal something about Chara that could help Frisk understand them better. Then, Frisk thought of an idea. Perhaps they should find a locksmith to open the diary? For all they know, Chara might have taken the key with them or even thrown it away.

Now the question is, is there even a locksmith among the monsters? There must be … right? Afterall, they make puzzles fanatically … surely one of them at least, would know how to break a lock?

Deciding to take a leap of faith, Frisk put the diary in a small, red, haversack they found during their search for the diary key. After putting everything back in place, including the drawer key in the crack, Frisk set off to exit the Ruins.

A sense of apprehension came over them as they stood in front of those double doors to the rest of the Underground. Here goes nothing …

* * *

Cold wind. Light, powdery snow. The sharp smell of pine and eternal winter. Snowdin Forest hadn't changed a single bit.

Well, except that there were no bars on the bridge where Frisk first met Sans ...

So … then … where was Sans and Papyrus?

A pang of loneliness struck Frisk hard and fast as they walked on. It was strange but they never realised how great their company was, even when they first met Sans and Papyrus.

The snow that had been falling lightly became heavier as if to reflect Frisk's mood. Quickening their pace, they pushed on, avoiding the curious stares and glances of a few monsters. Although, Frisk did stop several times to pet Lesser Dog and Greater Dog, as well as undecorate a grumpy Gyftrot. It made Frisk smile though; the monsters and their unique personalities.

I guess, I'm never really alone … Frisk thought happily as they waved bye to the grateful Gyftrot.

As Frisk approached the end of Snowdin forest, the snow was already falling thickly and the wind grew so strong, they felt like they were about to be blown away at any second. It feels like a blizzard was approaching. As the sky turned darker due to both the approaching night and the growing storm, Frisk encountered less and less monsters. Fortunately, they were already at the long, rope bridge that connected Snowdin Forest to Snowdin Town. Suddenly, Frisk had a flashback of Papyrus threatening them at this very bridge.

"Well? What's the holdup?" Sans asked his brother.

"Holdup!? What holdup!?" Papyrus looks annoyed at the uncooperating contraption.

Frisk couldn't help but giggle lightly. They had a feeling Sans had something to do with the failed trap. Still smiling at the memory, Frisk reached the end of the bridge.

However, lying right in front of them, was a suspicious pile of snow with leaves and twigs thrown haphazardly on it. Squinting their eyes to see through the snow, which was practically falling in sheets by now, Frisk also saw another bigger pile of snow further away from them, to the corner.

This was certainly new.

Frisk decided their best course of action was to avoid both piles of snow. And so, they treaded around the first snow pile right in the center. They had just made it past when an angry and muffled, "HEY!" sounded from the second snow pile in the corner.

They froze instantly. And it wasn't because of the cold.

The pile of snow fell apart as Papyrus jumped out of it, looking annoyed and somehow … blue. Instead of the costume he made and wore for a costume party, Papyrus was wearing a yellow snow coat and blue pants instead which looked drenched due to the snow he was under …

It still doesn't change the fact that Papyrus was obviously Papyrus though.

So without even thinking twice, Frisk ran over to hug the very cold skeleton who shrieked in surprise.

"What is this? A sneak attack!?"

Frisk finally let go and laughed breathlessly, "I'm sorry … I, I just …"

Papyrus stared at Frisk in bewilderment. "How did you avoid my trap? And why did you hug me? Is this some sort of weird monster greeting I haven't heard of -" Then, his eyes widened as he really took in Frisk. "Hey! You're not a monster! … Right?"

Frisk's laughter died down as they realised Papyrus had no clue who they are. "Oh … I'm not …" Somehow, their heart wrenched a little as they held out their hand to greet Papyrus. "Hi, I'm Frisk," they said softly, "and I'm a human."

"Human!" Papyrus gasped, ignoring their hand and instead opted to grab Frisk by the shoulders. "Another human!" Papyrus started shaking Frisk.

Then, Frisk sneezed, causing Papyrus to let go. "Human! You are catching a cold!"

Frisk managed a smile and while rubbing their nose.

"Why don't you go home?"

Their heart twisted that little bit more. "It's … far away …"

Papyrus looked sympathetic and sighed. "Well, it can't be helped then." Then, he exclaimed, "I, the Great Papyrus, shall nobly host you at my house!"

Frisk lit up a little, "I would appreciate that. Thank you …"

"It's this way!" Papyrus pointed towards Snowdin Town. "Follow me!" Then he started ahead.

Smiling, Frisk went after Papyrus with a small spring in their step.

* * *

"5 hours?"

"5 hours, 37 minutes and 42 seconds!" Papyrus exclaimed proudly. "But I stayed. Despite the cold. I stayed under the snow, waiting. One may think, 'how is that possible?' But I say, anything is possible for the Great Papyrus!"

Frisk laughed. Good old Papyrus. Besides the fact that he wasn't out to capture humans, Papyrus wasn't the least bit changed.

"You have the skills to be a Royal Guard!" Frisk said loudly, trying to be heard over the howling wind.

"What?" Papyrus shouted back.

"A Royal Guard! You!" Frisk yelled a little louder as they passed the twinkling fairy lights on the huge sign that read "Welcome to Snowdin!"

"What's that?"

Huh? Frisk squinted as they looked up at Papyrus who in turn, looked genuinely perplexed.

But before Frisk could reply, Papyrus stopped at the Christmas tree at the center of town. "Listen! This storm is making it hard to understand you! Let's take shelter at Grillby's!"

Frisk gave a thumbs up and the two rushed into the restaurant.

The warm air hit Frisk like a snug hug. They could hear Papyrus beside them sigh in relief as he stomped out the snow in his boots. Several heads turned to look their way. All of them were curious stares. This was something Frisk was slowly getting used to.

"What were you saying again, Human?" Papyrus asked a moment later.

"The Royal Guard … you always wanted - I mean … I thought ...:" Frisk struggled to phrase their words as the confusion on Papyrus's face only deepened.

Did he not know what or who the Royal Guard were? "Umm ..." Frisk started unsurely as Papyrus scanned the place for a seat. It seemed like they were all filled which wasn't surprisingly considering how there was a raging blizzard outside.

"The counter!" Papyrus pointed as two monsters left their seats. "I hope you are hungry! Let's grab a bite while we're here!"

As soon as Frisk sat down, the warmth of the room intensifies and they look up to see Grillby standing in front of them.

"One hamburger please! With extra cheese and meatballs!" Papyrus then turned towards Frisk. "And you, Human? What will you have?"

"Uhh … spaghetti," said Frisk with a sideway glance to Papyrus who didn't make the smallest reaction. "Thank you, Grillby," they continued. Grillby looked surprised that they knew his name but he shrugged it off and went back to the kitchen.

Frisk was beginning to think that this Papyrus may have been vastly different from the Papyrus they first met …

Swallowing hard, Frisk pulled themself together. "The Royal Guard," they casually started, "are monsters who promised their lives to a noble cause - to protect the King."

"Oh ho!" Papyrus sounded genuinely interested. "How does one become a Royal Guard?"

"Only the strongest, the best, are selected through a stringent process," said Frisk, glancing at Papyrus who was looking more and more excited by the second. "One must find Undyne to undergo the rigorous training and pass the selection."

"Who is Undyne?"

Frisk's mouth opened, then closed. A hesitant pause.

"Oh … umm. She's … the leader of the Royal Guard. Her battle skills are unrivalled."

"WOWIE!" Papyrus eyes practically sparkled with enthusiasm. "Do you think someone as great as me would be able to join?"

"For sure," said Frisk without missing a beat.

Then, their food came and and Frisk thanked Grillby again who still looked slightly surprised and stared at them for a second before attending to other diners.

As Papyrus chomped down on his burger, he exclaimed, "I can't believe a human like you would know so much! More than me! And I've already been here for a week!"

Frisk choked on their spaghetti. Papyrus thumped on their back while continuing, "We had a hard time at first, though. The monsters were so strange! But you see, my alertness allowed me to realise they all loved puzzles! So I, the Great Papyrus, decided I shall become the best puzzle-maker these monsters have ever known! Then, I will get respect … recognition! NYEH HEH HEH!" Here, he let out a huge sigh. "Unfortunately, my lazybones brother is NOT doing anything to help!"

Frisk signalled for water and Grillby swiftly delivered a glass. Gulping it down, the pasta finally dislodged itself from their throat.

"Are you alright, Human?" Papyrus asked, finally.

There was a sudden blast of cold air as the door to Grillby's tinkled. Everyone else turned to look at the new arrival but Frisk barely registered it. They were only focused on what was happening here at the counter. Papyrus just moved here? To Snowdin? To the Underground? That would explain a lot, actually …

"Here," Frisk pushed the plate of spaghetti to Papyrus who had already finished his burger. They indicated they weren't hungry anymore.

"'Sup." A new voice. A deeper, familiar voice. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Frisk flinched and turned around slowly.

Papyrus was faster and exclaimed with a mouthful of spaghetti. "This is awesome! Have you ever tried spaghetti, Sans?"

Frisk lifted their head, their eyes immediately meeting his.

"Hey," the perpetually smiling skeleton grinned.


	3. SAVE Point: 2

**A/N: Just so that nobody is startled. I want to warn everyone reading this that Sans may be a little mean in this chapter ... But of course, he has to have some reason ... right? (Once again, I own nothing. /sobs)**

* * *

Memories flooded Frisk's head. Flashback after flashback after flashback. Sans looked exactly the same. His clothes hasn't changed, his grin hasn't changed, he still doesn't have eyebrows … Frisk's heartbeat accelerated. A voice inside their head was telling them to open their mouth and speak. However, Frisk's mouth _was_ open, it's just that they couldn't find any words. If Sans thought they were mute, they wouldn't blame him.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" Sans cocked his head to the side, his right hand extended.

"Uhh … umm …" the first stutterings of a sentence started to formulate.

"Human!" Papyrus suddenly interrupted. "Don't shake that hand! He's got a whoopee cushion in it!"

Sans groaned. "Why d'ya give it away?"

"Because it's not funny!"

"That's because you keep falling for them," Sans laughed.

"It's YOUR fault you keep putting them around the house! I must have tripped on dozens of them by now!"

All of a sudden, Frisk began to giggle. They weren't even aware of it themself until Sans and Papyrus looked at them. Frisk realised they were the only one laughing and instinctively covered their mouth, feeling self-conscious …

A silent two seconds passed. "Welp. Whad'ya know. Looks like you do have a funny bone in you after all, Papyrus." Sans chuckled lightly.

"Oh shut up! EVERYONE has a funny bone. Mine's just the best!" Papyrus puffed out his chest proudly.

Frisk patted Papyrus's shoulder as he finished the sentence. Although their eyes were on Papyrus, they could feel Sans's gaze boring into Frisk? They wonder if he could somehow tell … if he somehow knew …

Then again, just like Papyrus, Sans may prove to be a "different" Sans. Frisk so badly wanted to find out what he knows and what he can tell them … but now doesn't really seem to be the right time. Speaking of which, they wonder what time of the day it was. Frisk peered around the room but was unable to find a clock.

As if Sans just read their mind, he suddenly spoke, " … half-past eight."

They whipped their head back around but saw that he was speaking to Papyrus.

"ALREADY? I haven't prepared for my next puzzle yet!" Papyrus looked shocked and horrified at the same time. "We must head home now!"

Papyrus stood up to leave, putting a few notes and coins on the table. Frisk reached into their pocket, pulling out a single gold piece. They mentally chided themself for not bringing more gold before coming here. Frisk quickly got down from the chair and followed Papyrus who was just starting towards the door.

Then, he stopped abruptly, almost causing Frisk to bump into him.

He turned to Sans. "OH I almost forgot! Tonight, This hu - my … friend will be staying over," he cast a hesitant glance to Frisk who gave him two thumbs up and nodded their head.

Flushing from happiness, he turned back to the door without awaiting a response from Sans. "Follow me! I will guide you to our fantastic home! I will be the best host ever!"

"Papyrus -" Sans called after but he was already out of the restaurant.

Frisk looked at Sans. He seems troubled. "Is everything alright," asked Frisk quietly.

Sans quickly gave a laugh. "I'm just worried he may get mad at the whoopee cushion I put outside his room."

Frisk smiled but couldn't help but have the feeling Sans may not be telling the truth …

"You go on first. I'll see ya later."

Still staring at him, Frisk approached the door, and then they finally opened it and went out into the cold. They could see Papyrus walking towards their place in the distance. Shaking off the slightly uncomfortable feeling that stuck to Frisk, they hurried after Papyrus.

They just hoped that Sans wasn't secretly against Frisk staying over …

Trailing after Papyrus for a minute or two, they finally reached their house. Frisk noted that Papyrus's mailbox was still empty, but this time, so was Sans's. Or at least, not stuffed to the brim with junk mail. Upon closer inspection, it looked like one mailbox (Papyrus's) looked newer than the other, if the lack of rust and shine were of any indication. They wondered if this house actually belonged to someone else before Sans and Papyrus came to Snowdin … thus the sudden need for two mailboxes instead of one.

When Frisk entered the house, Papyrus was proudly showing them around the living room. The place was as sparse as ever, but other than the empty tables, nothing looks different. Somehow, despite the lack of furniture, the rugs and colour scheme of the room, combined with Papyrus's energy gave a groovy, comfortable vibe to the home which Frisk appreciated.

Suddenly, the both of them heard a door open and close from upstairs. Turning their heads, they saw Sans coming down the stairs, hands in the pocket of his jackets.

"SANS! Remove the whoopee cushions from the sofa!" Papyrus yelled. "We have a guest over!"

"Okay," said Sans, with a hint of amusement in his voice as he crossed the room to remove two whoopee cushions that Frisk hasn't even noticed from under the seats.

"That's better," said Papyrus. Then, turning to Frisk, he asked where they would like to sleep.

"We do have a guest bedroom! But," Papyrus lowered his voice, "it's actually my cool toolshed. Don't tell anyone."

Frisk laughed in spite of themself. However, sleeping in a wooden room on the wooden floor outside in the cold didn't really appeal to them, hence Frisk volunteered to take the couch.

Papyrus had no qualms with that and proceeded to offer supper which they declined.

"If you need anything. Yell for me! Or Sans. But he may prank you -"

"Hey, don't deny my jokes are pretty humerus!" Sans cut in, pointing to his upper arm.

Papyrus let out a strangled groan as his brother burst out into laughter. Then, Papyrus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he continued after regaining composure, "refreshments, accommodations and puzzles have been provided! With that, I hope you have a good rest. Goodnight, Human!"

Then the two brothers proceeded to go back to their rooms after turning off the lights. Frisk heard the sound of a door opening and a whoopee cushion going off.

"SANS!"

Laughing, they sat down on the couch and removed the haversack from their shoulders. Then, their laughter died as they remembered they had something to do.

The moon had started to come out as the clouds cleared. Light streamed in from the window, which cast a slightly ethereal glow about the room as it fell on the couch and carpet. Sighing, Frisk pulled out the diary from the haversack and inspected it closely. As they ran their fingers over the ornate, floral swirls, they wondered what kind of person Chara might be and why they would go to such lengths to destroy humanity. It feels strange and exciting at the same time, to hold such a personal possession of Chara's ... yet it was also a reminder as to why Frisk was here in the first place.

And then, loneliness struck Frisk once again.

"Ahem," a voice suddenly cleared, interrupting their thoughts.

Jumping a little, Frisk lowered the diary and looked up to see Sans standing half in the stream of moonlight and half in the shadows. Although he was smiling as always, they couldn't quite read his mood.

"I thought you might need this," he stepped into the moonlight and threw something swiftly to Frisk who barely caught it. It was soft and warm.

"Thank you for the blanket," said Frisk genuinely as they wrapped it around themselves.

Sans shrugged, "I'm hungry." He walked towards the kitchen, switching on the lights. "Do you want anything?"

They shook their head.

There were sounds of drawers opening and the rummaging of utensils. Frisk heard the fridge open and close, and following that, the sound of a microwave. Then the lights were off and Sans came out with a plate of fries.

"You know," he said, "I may be good with tricks but I can't make solid objects disappear yet …"

Following Sans's line of sight, Frisk saw and realised that they were clutching the diary a little too tightly. So much so that their knuckles were turning white. They told themself to calm down and relaxed their grip, trying to hide their nervousness. It's odd but Sans seemed more guarded and uptight despite his jokes. Or maybe they were just over-thinking this?

"It's important … to me," Frisk explained.

Sans cocked his head to one side.

"It's my diary," said Frisk quickly, "but I lost the key … so I am looking for a locksmith."

"Is that why you are here?" Sans asked, expression unreadable. "Do humans not have locksmiths on the surface?"

This caught Frisk off guard. Sans knew they were human? Then again, Papyrus has been calling them "Human" ever since they met so Frisk really shouldn't be surprised …

"I … fell in accidentally," they started. "Was out hiking and I fell. Lost my key on the way down."

Sans raised his non-existent eyebrow. "Welp. Unfortunately, I can't help ya. Papyrus may know someone though. I'm kinda unfamiliar with the folks in town."

"Is that because you just moved here?" Frisk said suddenly, strangely emboldened by a sense of reckless courage.

Sans's grin somehow faltered. "Yeah … Did uh, Papyrus say anything?"

Frisk decided to push it a little. "Maybe …"

"What did he say?"

"He just talked about being confused here at first …" Frisk said honestly, then they asked, "... Where did you move from?"

Sans's grin was back in full force, "I don't know, kid. My memory's not quite what it used to be."

This struck a chord from within Frisk. This was the first time he had ever called them "kid" and it somehow gave them more confidence. As someone who was relatively quiet, preferring to gesture than to speak, raising their voice was a first for Frisk.

"But you just got here!" they exclaimed.

"Heh."

"The monsters in town said you two just showed up one day!"

"They aren't wrong."

"But -"

"It's late," Sans interjected. "Get some rest. I'm gonna go ahead. Goodnight, kid." He started towards the stairs.

Frisk frowned. They wanted to call Sans back, tell him everything they knew. Reveal that they were from the future and tell him about how they've met everyone before. That they were already friends. And that Frisk was here to save Asriel because they weren't able to do so …

 _That's why, Sans. That's why I'm here. So please, help me._

But Frisk couldn't find any words. They never came to them easy. The encouragement from hearing Sans call them "kid" was dying down. Now, Frisk was back to being the awkward, quiet human that was out of place, yet so at home in the Underground.

"Don't forget your ketchup, Sans," Frisk whispered to themself before lying down on the couch and wrapping the blanket even tighter around their body. Somehow, doing this gave them a little bit of comfort. It was as if it shielded them against the feelings of pain and helplessness that were growing stronger.

As they closed their eyes, they thought about the friends they once made. Toriel, Asgore, Asriel, Flowey, Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Blooky … All the memories, their faces upon getting to the surface …

Seconds turned to minutes, and soon, Frisk was fast asleep, dreaming about their friends.

* * *

When Frisk woke up the next morning, they realised they were still holding on to the diary. As they reached down to put it back into the haversack, they also found a plate of spaghetti on the floor with a note to the side:

 _Specially delivered from Grillby's! May you enjoy the delight you never had._

 _Nyefully yours, Papyrus_

Smiling, Frisk took up the plate and realised the spaghetti was half frozen. They decided to bring it to the kitchen to heat it up.

To their surprise, Papyrus was in the kitchen that morning. He seemed to be busying himself with something at the counter … Frisk cleared their throat softly.

Papyrus jumped, noticing they were there. "Oh! Good morning, Human! I see you haven't eaten your spaghetti!"

"It's frozen."

Papyrus looked shocked. "Frozen!? Let me help you warm it up!" Then, he took the plate from Frisk and put it in the microwave in cupboards below.

They moved closer to Papyrus, trying to peer at what he was doing at the counter. With a start, he quickly grabbed what seemed to be a piece of paper and dropped his pencil.

"What's that?" Frisk asked.

"Why, that's - that's …" Papyrus looked worried, clutching the paper to his chest.

They picked up the pencil from the floor, causing Papyrus to gasp. "Oh no! You aren't going to take that from me, are you? I need that to write this list!"

"List?"

Papyrus froze, then sighed. "You caught me, Human. Oh my. I was trying so hard to keep this a secret too! But you so cleverly tricked me into telling you!"

They waited patiently, as he laid out the piece of paper on the counter, smoothing it out.

"It's actually a gift list, for Christmas!" Papyrus said proudly. "Only I can't decide what to get Sans yet …"

Frisk was slightly shocked. Christmas? When was Christmas? As soon as they wondered that, they also realised, they had asked that aloud.

"Why, it's tomorrow!" exclaimed Papyrus, giving them a strange look.

They were slightly taken aback. Christmas was tomorrow? That means today would be the 24th! Well, at least now that they knew that, they are able to keep track of the dates. Frisk peered at the list. On it, were Sans's name and Frisk's, or their nickname "Human" at least. They continued to read the rest of it. There were names like, "Shopkeeper", "Innkeeper", "Monster Bear outside Grillby's", "Weird Bunny with Pet", "Monster Kid" etc. Then they realised, Papyrus had listed down everyone who lived in Snowdin!

Frisk also noted that Papyrus had written, "key" next to their name. They pointed to it and looked at Papyrus in confusion.

"Oh. Well … Sans told me you lost your key," said Papyrus hesitatingly. Then, with more confidence, he exclaimed, "but I'll get you a new one!"

They stared at Papyrus, wondering if he could really get a key that would fit the diary's lock perfectly. Has he even seen the diary? Just as Frisk was about to ask, Papyrus quickly grabbed them by the shoulders.

He looked around the room and lowered his voice. "Will you help me get a present for Sans?"

Frisk nodded with a smile.

"YES!" Papyrus hugged them and they returned it happily. "Well," he said after letting go, "what do you suggest?"

They thought for a while, but were unable to come up with ideas. Sans was a curious character … sure, he appears to like bad jokes and puns, but there was definitely something more to him than that. They weren't sure how much Papyrus knew either. Did Sans ever tell him about his knowledge of timelines?

"Looks like you are out of ideas too," remarked Papyrus. "But of course, if I can't come up with one, surely you can't either. How about we take go get others their presents first?"

Frisk nodded yes and ran to grab their haversack.

A few minutes later, the two were out of the house and walking about Snowdin. It was a brilliant sight. Frisk didn't think it was possible but the town was even livelier and bustling with Christmas spirit more than ever. Monsters had already begun to decorate their houses with wreaths and brightly-coloured bobbles. As they walked around town, Frisk saw a few monsters on ladders, stringing fairy lights from tree to tree.

"Let's go into the shop!" Papyrus suggested.

Inside, the orange lit shop had a Christmas song playing on the radio and mistletoe everywhere.

"Welcome! We are having a Christmas sale today! Christmas-sy items off 50%!" The shopkeeper said brightly as the two wandered in.

"WOWIE!" Papyrus clapped in delight and hurriedly took out his list from his jacket. He showed the slightly crumped piece of paper to the shopkeeper.

"Oh yes! We do sell Christmas beanies! Please have a look at our collection!" She beamed.

Papyrus and Frisk thus began their extensive Christmas shopping for all the monsters in town, picking out every gift meticulously. As they shopped, Papyrus started to sing a merry tune and Frisk hummed along while the shopkeeper clapped to the beat.

A beanie for Strange bunny

A sweater for Monster Kid

A snow globe for Polar Bear ...

This went on for an hour or so. After purchasing half the items on Papyrus's list, they went to Snowdin Forest to pick out flowers and twigs to make a Christmas bouquet for the Shopkeeper and Innkeeper. They got an assortment of nuts and berries for Grizzly Bear and strung together snowdrop chains for the Librarby folks.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ~~" Frisk sang softly.

"Oh what fun it is to ride on a Gyftrot-open sleigh!" Papyrus continued cheerfully.

A Gyftrot in the nearby trees gave an approving grunt.

With Christmas spirit in the air, Papyrus and Frisk quickly finished their gift shopping and walked back to Snowdin, arms laden with presents.

The monsters in town stared at the merry two. However, the Christmas spirit was growing on them too and they also began to sing along. Upon reaching home, Frisk and Papyrus was panting, faces red and warm from all the singing and walking about town. Then, Papyrus told them to start wrapping the gifts with the paper they just bought while he goes collect something. This leaves them alone at home surrounded by a pile of presents.

Well, they should get started.

Although they had bought wrapping paper, there were no scissors and tape. Frisk thought back to Papyrus and Sans's place on the surface. If they remembered correctly, Papyrus had once opened a drawer in the kitchen while attempting to find mittens and instead found a bunch of crafting tools instead. Frisk decided their best guess was the kitchen. And sure enough, opening one of the bottom drawers of the cupboard revealed papers, glue, scissors, tape and glitter. They also realised their spaghetti had been sitting in the microwave since the morning … it seemed like Papyrus had forgot to turn it on …

Frisk quickly got started on the gift wrapping. The afternoon quickly passed and soon, they were done with every single present. As they sat on the floor, they sighed, staring proudly at all of the wrapped gifts laid out in front of them.

Just then, Papyrus burst through the door. "Human!"

His eyes widened as he saw all of the presents. "WOWIE! They are wrapped so exquisitely! Of course, I knew straightaway you would do well but … This is just wonderful!"

Frisk stood up, gave a bow and giggled.

Then, Papyrus pulled out something from behind him. It was a green box, about the size of the average book with a silver ribbon around it. "This is for you," he said, handing it to Frisk. "But don't open it yet! Wait 'till Christmas tomorrow!"

Frisk looked up at him. "Thank you," they murmur, quickly hugging the skeleton who warmly returned it.

Then, Papyrus remembered something. "SANS'S PRESENT!"

Frisk wanted to slap themself. How could they forget? However, all of a sudden, they heard the melody of a rock version of a Christmas carol drifting in from a nearby house. A lightbulb went off in their head.

"Papyrus," they started. "Does Sans like rock?"

"Rock?" Papyrus frowned. Then, a slow smile crept across his face. "Yes … YES! That's IT! A ROCK!"

It was Frisk's turn to frown. "Huh?"

Papyrus grabbed all the presents, somehow managing to carry every single one of them. "I'm going to put this at the Christmas tree in town and get Sans's present on the way. Thanks for the great idea, Human!" And then, he disappeared out of the door.

Frisk wasn't sure if he got their idea on gifting Sans a rock album of Christmas tunes …

* * *

That night, the Christmas tree at Snowdin was laden with presents and twinkling brighter than ever. _So,_ Frisk thought, taking in all the Christmas decor and cheer in the gently falling snow. _This was Snowdin on Christmas Eve …_

With a heavy heart, Frisk trudged back to Papyrus and Sans's place. They would have to leave by tonight. When they reached the house, they started packing, putting everything but Papyrus's gift to them in the haversack. When Papyrus came down the stairs and saw them, he remarked he was sad to see them go too, but nervously explained that Sans had told him he wasn't keen on letting Frisk stay another night.

Sans. He did seem a little guarded and defensive. Frisk recalled him being a lot more amiable the first time they met. Was it because this time, they just moved to Snowdin? Was Sans wary of strangers in general? Or did he have something to hide? Needless to say, Frisk was heartbroken they weren't able to form a strong friendship with Sans … somehow, they got the feeling that he didn't trust them, despite all his jokes and puns.

"Human," Papyrus said, pulling Frisk out from their thoughts. "Do you want to wait up for Santa with me? Before you … go?"

Frisk blinked. Santa?

Evidently, they looked perplexed because Papyrus begun to explain himself. "I want to see Santa and thank him for his gifts! I've always gotten what I've written for! I must be a good skeleton!"

They smiled agreeingly.

"Let's go up to the roof!" Papyrus said and gestured for them to follow him.

10 minutes later, the two were sitting on the snowy tiles of the roof, freezing. Or at least, Frisk was. Papyrus looked just fine, no, more than fine. He looked excited and couldn't stop rambling about the presents from Santa he'd gotten from previous years.

Then, as time dragged on, Papyrus also slowly grew silent. They both leaned back, watching the bright stars (or rocks) that hinted of galaxies and other worlds … It was a beautiful kind of magic that one so rarely experiences in their lifetime. A sense of the unknown, and how little you are compared to the ever-expanding, beautiful world out there. Sitting so high up, the falling snow seemed to sparkle and dance around them, adding to the magic.

However, Frisk soon heard a snore next to them. Looking over, they realised Papyrus had fallen asleep.

"Papyrus -" they called softly, reaching over to shake them awake.

"Hey, kid," a gruff voice said from behind them. Frisk turned to see Sans coming up on the roof. "Is my brother asleep?"

They nod.

"Okay. Good. Don't wake him. I gotta get him down to bed. Why don't you go down first and wait?"

A little confused, Frisk stood and climbed down from the roof and went into the house. They waited patiently in the living room and soon Sans appeared on the stairs.

"You know, I almost couldn't get his present done on time this year. This is the first time he's asked for an action figure of himself as a Royal Guard. I wonder who put that idea in his head." Sans said as he came towards Frisk.

They shift uncomfortably.

Sans suddenly laughed. "I suppose there's no point trying to hide it now. Papyrus waits up for Santa every year but always falls asleep around this time. It's a good thing too. He might be disappointed to find out it's been me all along …"

Frisk let out a quiet, "oh." It made sense. This conversation made sense. Sans was just talking about how he'd been pretending to be Santa for years which wasn't surprising at all. It's just a casual conversation … so why does it feel so tense?

To distract themself, they picked up the gift Papyrus had gave them earlier, fingering the ribbon lightly.

"Why don't you open it? It's 12 midnight." Sans said, looking intently at Frisk.

They sit down on the sofa and proceeded to untie the silver ribbon. It fell from their hands. They lift the cover of the green box, revealing …

A shiny sculpture of a key made in glass. It was just a little smaller than Frisk's hand.

"It's pretty," they smiled as they held it up. It had a round base at the bottom which allowed it to stand. Although, it wasn't quite what Frisk was looking for, they appreciated the sincerity and effort.

"Wow," remarked Sans. "I can't believe he actually did it."

They looked at Sans, confused.

He scratched his nose, or at least, where his nose had been. "I told Papyrus that you were here to get a key to replace the one you lost. I don't think he understood but I can't believe he would still go to lengths to make this for you …

"He actually went to request Ice Wolf, someone whom he was mildly afraid of, to make this. That's amazing. How did you manage to worm your way into his heart so fast?"

They felt more disconcerted by the second. What was going on? Why was Sans saying all this?

"Papyrus," he carried on, "had never been one to make many pals. Sure, he is a friendly guy but he's a little socially awkward and has a hard time making friends because of that. So he grew up with the mentality that everyone was intimidated by him because he's too awesome … But I guess, you already know that, don't you, kid?"

Sans stared at at Frisk. Expression once again unreadable. They thought they could just make out a light behind his left eye. But it was just a flicker. And as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. A few seconds of tense silence passed.

"What do you want, kid?" Sans suddenly demanded, his tone was casual but it somehow sounded threatening. "You think I haven't noticed? How you so easily made friends with my brother. How you know this place like your home."

"What are you up to? You, a spy, kid? We got nothing to hide here."

Frisk's heartbeat quickened. Oh no, oh no … everything was going downhill. How did Sans arrive at the conclusion that they were a spy? They could feel their voice dying, as if someone had clutched at it and was squeezing the life out. This feeling was horribly familiar. They didn't want to remember it but it reminded them of their school days on the surface before falling into Underground … where they felt welcome, at home. Where they found their voice again.

"I, I …" Frisk stammered. "I just want … to find, a key -"

Sans laughed. "Sure, kid."

 _Tell him!_ Screamed an inner voice inside of Frisk. _Tell him why you're really here!_

 _No!_ Frisk argued against themself. They couldn't! If they told Sans they were here from the future to save Asriel and humanity from death and destruction at the hands of Chara, Sans will never believe them! There's no way they can prove any of this! How much does Sans know about the future or timelines at this point in time anyway? There's just too much risks involved and Frisk wasn't ready to take them.

"Do you …" Frisk started in a strained voice, "... do you believe in time travel?"

Sans looked at them long and hard.

"Nope."

Something in Frisk crumbled and died upon hearing his answer.

"I … I should go." They put the sculpture back in the box and shoved it in the haversack. "I'm sorry for intruding. Thank you, for having me."

Then, they heaved the haversack over their shoulder and ran out of the house without looking back ...

They ran and ran, silent tears freezing on their cheeks in the cold wintry air.


	4. Confusion

**A/N: New chapter name. Can you guess why? XD Anyway, I hope everyone who is following this story is enjoying it so far ...**

* * *

The gnawing feeling in his stomach was definitely not letting up. A part of him is kicking himself for making a child cry and hurting one of Papyrus's friends.

Then again, was the human child _really_ his friend?

Sure, they were nice and all; they were friendly and clicked really well with everyone in town. But perhaps, a little too well and that's what Sans was worried about.

He felt like an ass but then again, he was just protecting his family … Somehow, the child knew things they shouldn't have known. Every area of Snowdin, Papyrus's quirks, even Sans's taste in sauces … It was uncanny how they were so at home in the Underground. And Sans didn't like it. _They were on to them._ He reasoned with himself. _They've been researching them._

And they had a good reason to. Appearing in Snowdin one day was strange and Sans had been counting on the unassuming nature of monsters to not question it so long as they both didn't disrupt the peace of the town. But then came Frisk. The second human child who fell in after Chara …

How much does the kid know about them anyway? Were they working with Chara on something? If so, Sans needed to take action. He couldn't afford to risk his brother's safety and let this pass.

 _Sigh._ He thought. Chara had seemed creepy enough … now with the addition of another human child who seemingly knows everything, he's got a lot on his hands.

And why would they ask if he believed in time travel? Out of all the things he's heard from the kid (which, he noted, wasn't a lot; they weren't really a talker), the question on time travel unnerved him the most. This most certainly confirmed Sans's suspicions the kid was a spy, or at least, someone sent to investigate him and his brother.

How would they know though? Sans had covered all his tracks … He'd gone to such lengths after all, even replacing Papyrus's memories …

All this thinking kept Sans awake 'till the next morning. The sun had just come out and a few minutes later, he could hear Papyrus cackling excitedly in the next room. Then, he heard his brother stumble down the stairs and … a loud metallic clash of equipment from the kitchen?

Hurrying down, Sans saw that his brother had opened a cupboard which was stuffed with pots and pans they'd never used, causing them to crash onto the floor.

"'Sup brother." Sans raised a hand.

"Sans! I'm going to make spaghetti! This is truly a cause for celebration! Santa gave me what I wanted for Christmas!" And then Papyrus pulled out an action figure from behind his back. "Look! It's an action figure of ME as a Royal Guard!"

Sans's grin grew. "I guess you could say the gift was SANS-ational!"

Papyrus rolled his eyes. "Ugh! Will you stop trying? What does that mean anyway? You didn't get me anything!"

Then Papyrus pulled out something else from his back. It was a small parcel clumsily wrapped in shiny foil. Sans took it from him with surprise.

"That's your Christmas present. Unlike you, I never forget to get you something!" Papyrus said proudly as he watched his brother unwrap it. "Oh, and by the way. The human helped me pick this out for you!"

Sans took off the last piece of foil and revealed a … rock sitting in the palm of his hands.

"Uhhh …"

"It's your pet rock! Now you can never get BONELY again! NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus cackled with glee.

Sans was officially skele-done with his brother.

* * *

"Don't cry," said the River Person. "Won't you hum with me? Tra la la. See? That feels better doesn't it?"

Frisk nods their head and attempts a smile. They were lucky the River Person had stopped by Snowdin to see the Christmas lights and parties. Now they could ride to Waterfall in peace. They didn't really feel like encountering anyone right now …

Frisk would have gone straight to Hotland if it weren't for the possibility that Gerson, the vendor in Waterfall, may have something that could help them open the diary. This was still their first priority. Frisk still didn't have a plan as to how they can convince Chara to change their mind so hopefully, this diary will help them formulate one.

They arrive in Waterfall, feeling like the weight of the haversack had increased ten fold. They wondered why Sans was so hostile toward them. And why did he say it didn't believe in time travel? Surely he is aware of the timelines and Frisk's ability to SAVE and RESET right? They wished Future Sans had warned them or hinted them at the possibility of a less-friendly Sans in the past. Maybe he could have given them a secret codeword to let himself know that Frisk could be trusted …

They tried to hold back the tears that had sprung up again thinking about Future Sans and the adventures they shared. Once again, the feelings of loneliness had gotten to them and Frisk was as homesick as ever.

Then again, wasn't this Frisk's home too?

 _Well,_ they thought. _It used to be. Now I don't know anyone anymore …_

Looking around, they realised they're in the Quiet Area of Waterfall. And then they remembered, this was where Undyne and Napstablook live!

A little spark of excitement ignited in them. These were people they knew! Hopefully, they'll be as friendly as Papyrus too!

They walked to Undyne's and knocked on the door. No one answered and Frisk frowned. She doesn't seem to be home. Shrugging it off, they made their way to Napstablook's.

As they were coming up the path, they noticed Napstablook coming out of his door.

"Ohh ... oh no …" Napstablook looked sad and horrified at the same time. "I ran into somebody who had the misfortune to see me in this state …"

Frisk cautiously approached the ghost, afraid to scare it away. "Are you alright?" they ask.

Napstablook averted their eyes. "Why are you talking to me … I am a mess."

They come closer and saw that he looked more depressed than he usually was. Filled with concern, they asked again if something was wrong.

He closed his eyes. "I must be imagining things … Nobody would want to talk to a sad ghost …"

"Blooky," they start hesitatingly. "Why are skeletons so calm all the time?"

Napstablook does not answer.

"It's because," said Frisk flashing back to a memory on the surface. "It's because nothing gets under their skin."

A ghost of a smile (no pun intended) nudged at the corners of Napstablook's mouth.

"Oh …" he opened his eyes and looked towards Frisk. "That was kind of funny … I want to show you something too." And then he started crying tears that rose to form a hat on top of his head.

"Do you like it?" he asked eagerly. "I call it -"

"Dapperblook!" Frisk finished excitedly.

Napstablook's hat disappeared and he suddenly looked crestfallen again. "Oh … you know. Just like how you know my nickname too. I must be really unoriginal and boring …"

Frisk covered their mouth. Oh no … how did they let that slip up?

"No!" they said quickly. "I only know because I heard about you from all the monsters! They all think it's really cool."

Napstablook looks a little hopeful. "Really? Wow … Maybe I should let them listen to some of my favourite music too …"

Frisk laughed, remembering how much Aaron and Woshua were spooked by it the last time they encountered them. Napstablook took the laugh as encouragement and smiled back.

"Hey … you're really nice." Napstablook sounded genuinely happy. "I'm about to go work in my snail farm but … if you want, you can come in my house and sit down. Or you can just … forget about me and get on with your life …"

They indicated they wanted to follow him to work. A little surprised, the ghost said he was fine with that too and that was how Frisk found themself farming in Blook Acres with Napstablook.

It wasn't something they didn't enjoy though. In fact, they were quite happy with the company Napstablook provided. Even though he seemed more down than usual, working and talking to him was a welcome distraction from their thoughts.

Then, after some time had passed, the two of them saw another ghost come up the path. Napstablook immediately went over to greet them. Frisk stared curiously. Who is this ghost? They've definitely not encountered them before.

"Hey …" said Napstablook coming over with the other ghost. "I want you to meet my cousin …"

Frisk's jaw dropped. Cousin? Does he mean …

"Mettaton?"

"What …?" Napstablook looked baffled.

The ghost jerked suddenly. "Oh my," they said. "How did you know the pseudonym I came up for myself?"

Napstablook frowned. "I … I must be missing something … Oh no …"

"Oh, Blooky. I guess, there's no point denying it anymore … You know I've always wanted to become a star …"

"But you said …"

"I know, I know. I will never leave you … Besides, I don't think I'll ever be able to find my perfect body anyway …" Blooky's cousin - Mettaton sighed.

A dozen things ran through Frisk's head at once. So this was when Mettaton was still living next to Napstablook? That means … they haven't met Alphys yet!

"How …" they said unsurely. "How should I address you …?"

"Oh, my dear. Mettaton is fine. It's nice to actually have someone call me that instead of having imaginary fans scream my stage name …" Ghost-Mettaton smiled.

"How did you find out though?" they asked, intrigued.

Frisk mentally berated themself for slipping up again. "I, uhh … I don't know why. The name popped up in my head the moment I saw you …"

"Oooh. Is that so?" Ghost-Mettaton looked delighted. "Well, great ghouls think alike!"

Napstablook looked flustered with the exchange. "This conversation is way over my head …"

Laughing, Ghost-Mettaton hugged (more like wrapped their ectoplasm around Blooky's) Napstablook with affection. "We need to get to work."

"But … you were the one who was late …"

Now, with the three of them on the farm, things got more interesting. Ghost-Mettaton confided in Frisk about their fascination with humans, and their dream of becoming a star.

"The only thing holding me back, is my body," Ghost-Mettaton sighed as they languidly counted the snail eggs. "Well …" they said as an afterthought. "... that and Blooky - Oops! I just lost count ..."

Time had passed so quickly that Frisk didn't even realise it was evening time until Napstablook mentioned dinner. He invited them both back home and offered ghost sandwiches. Then, he explained to Frisk that they had a family tradition of lying on the ground after dinner. But, before he could ask Frisk to join, they were already on the floor, beckoning him over.

Frisk felt reminiscent of the first time they met Napstablook as the three of them watched the cosmos and contemplated their life. It was then that they remembered they had to get a key to open the diary. Silently, they kicked themself for wasting another day. Although it had been fun to befriend Blooky as well as Mettaton, or Ghost-Mettaton again, they really needed to come up with a plan to save Asriel soon … what if Chara had already finished plotting their's?

They didn't have much time left …

Sitting up, they thought now might be the right time to ask Napstablook why he was so depressed.

"Huh?" Napstablook uprighted himself. "Why am I sad? Well … I guess. I'm just lonely …"

The cosmos disappeared around them. Ghost-Mettaton yawned appreciatively and then turned to Frisk. "Blooky just misses ol' Cuzzy, don't you?"

Napstablook hangs his head.

"They used to live here together but he moved away to become a training dummy," Ghost-Mettaton continued to explain.

"The house feels so empty …" Napstablook looked as if he was about to cry. "Do you think he moved out because he couldn't stand me …?"

"No of course not!" Ghost-Mettaton said quickly. "Darling, he was just following his dream! You must be happy for him! Besides, you have me and this adorable human here!"

Frisk nodded encouragingly. Although on the surface, they were reassuring Napstablook, inside Frisk, all they could think about was how much sense it made now. They only partially understood Mettaton's diaries the last time they read them. But seeing all the events Mettaton had described actually act out in real life was something else altogether.

Then perhaps … Frisk should introduce Ghost-Mettaton to Alphys now too?

Oh right … they haven't "met" her yet. But they can still tell Ghost-Mettaton about her right? If Mettaton knew that such a person exists now, they can rise to their stardom even earlier!

"Speaking of dreams, I think Alphys can help you," Frisk said, looking pointedly at Ghost-Mettaton. "She's the Royal Scientist and can probably help you achieve your dream body. Why don't you look for her in Hotland sometime?"

Ghost-Mettaton looked hopeful. "Really? I think I might, then!"

Then, it was their cue to leave. They were on a mission after all.

"Blooky," said Frisk quietly, causing everyone to look up. "I'm sorry but I have to go."

"Oh … Okay. I am sorry for wasting your time …" Napstablook said apologetically.

They smiled again. "You didn't. I was very happy to meet you."

Napstablook returned the smile brightly and Frisk's heart soared. It was just so rare to see him happy!

"Wow … That's the first time someone has said that to me …" Napstablook was practically glowing now. "I'll see you out …"

Making sure they got all their things, Frisk left the house with Napstablook while Ghost-Mettaton went back to their place. As they walked down the path, however, they heard the sound of clanging metal come closer to them. They both paused.

Ahead, appeared a figure clad from head to toe in silver armour that had once been shiny but was now muddy and dirty …

Frisk had to hold themself back, remembering what happened when they got too excited meeting Napstablook and Mettaton again. "Who's that?" they whisper.

"That's Undyne … she lives next door … and she's so, cool …"

They didn't wait any longer and started running ahead. "Undyne!"

The armoured character removed their helmet. Fire-red locks fell from the back of a blue scalp. "Yeah?" Her gruff voice sent shivers down Frisk's spine. "How can I help …"

Undyne trailed off as soon as Frisk ran close enough for her to realise this child … was human!

"You're from the Surface." Undyne stated.

They stop right in front of her and nod. Part of them was scared she might capture them and another part of them was hoping she'll be convivial. Honestly, they didn't quite know what to expect anymore …

"Why are you here? Did you fall in?"

More questions. "Yes."

Undyne let out a long sigh. "I suppose you want to get home. You're lucky, punk. If the Royal Family hadn't adopted a human child before you came, I would have killed you on the spot right now."

Five seconds of awkward silence passed as Frisk registered that. It was uhh … nice getting told they'd be killed if they had come before Chara. But at least, this wasn't as bad as getting attacked from the moment they set foot in the Underground …

"Okay, listen." Undyne seemed slightly irritated. "You can stop looking like you're gonna piss your pants now. I'm not killin' someone as wimpy as you. If you need to go home, just head to Asgore's. It's right up ahead. Goodbye."

And then she started walking past Frisk, back to her place as she angrily muttered under her breath about training useless Royal Guards. Napstablook stepped out of her way, staring in awe.

They couldn't help it, they panicked. This wasn't how they'd thought their interaction would be like! They had hope they'd be able to become friends with Undyne just like before.

"Undyne!" Frisk shouted, or at least, tried their best to.

She looked back and they were instantly flooded with relief. "What?"

Umm … good question. They had called without thinking again. Frisk wracked their brain for something … Undyne, Royal Guards, useless, training ... Papyrus!

"I have someone I want to introduce you to!" Frisk said as loudly as they can. "He wants to be a Royal Guard and he's really good at uhhh … fighting. He's dedicated too! He won't miss training, he doesn't have off days -"

Undyne paused. "Send him to me. I guess I can actually use someone with real talent right now." Then she started walking again, murmuring, "... Unlike those buffoons I'm currently training …"

They stared after Undyne. That's it? Oh, but then again. It's not like they had any real reason to become friends. After all, Papyrus was the one who had brought them together. Well, at the very least, she didn't attack Frisk with spears and kill them on sight.

"That was … pretty awesome …"

They glance at Napstablook who seemed to be glowing. "She has never been at least 5 metres from me for more than 10 seconds before …"

Frisk came over to him. "Hey, Blooky. Do you happen to have a pen and some paper?"

* * *

"Interesting …" Gerson said, inspecting the lock with his magnifying glass.

Frisk waited patiently. They were hopeful that the old vendor would have something … After all, Mettaton's key to their home was in Bratty and Catty's shop. So who's to say that Gerson wouldn't have Chara's key to their diary?

"Eh,' said the vendor, clearing his throat. "The lock's pretty unique. Never seen such an intricate mechanism before."

They waited for him to continue but Gerson went back to inspecting the lock closely again. Frisk tapped their fingers on the table, starting to feel restless.

"Patience, child. And stop that tapping!"

They stop.

A few moments later, Gerson gave a laugh. "Wahaha. I don't think I have the specific key to this lock but you can check out my key collection!" Setting down the diary, he bent down and pulled something from under the table.

It was a dusty old, brown box and he put it on the table, next to the diary. Frisk opened the lid and saw that the box had many compartments and shelves in it, all containing keys!

"Go ahead and try 'em." Gerson gestured for them to help themself.

They took apart the shelves in the box and reached into one of the compartments for a rusty off-silver key. They tested it on the lock. It didn't even fit. Putting it back, they took out another key from another compartment, and tested it on the lock again.

In this way, Frisk went through the first shelf of the box.

And then the second shelf …

And then … the third one, when they were halfway through it, they found one that fit the lock! They gasped and looked at Gerson who chuckled. "Well, turn it."

They turn it but the key wouldn't move.

Frisk sighed and pulled it out of the lock. They put it back in its compartment and tried another one. Finally, they reached the last key Gerson had. Nothing. It didn't work.

A little disappointed, they thank the vendor for his time and helpfulness. Gerson closed the box and put it back under his desk.

"There, there, young 'un. Now I may have something else." Then he stretched out his hand to show them a lock-picking set.

Frisk took it from him, staring at the small rectangular box registering the separate tools. Then they looked up at Gerson, thrilled. "Thank you so much!" This set might just help them get the lock open!

They paid Gerson with what little money they had left and went out of the shop, feeling lighter already. As they went on their way, looking at the lock-picking set, they suddenly realised however, they didn't know how to pick-lock. Frisk scratched their head. They suppose they can get Papyrus to help but they were much closer to Hotland at the moment. Perhaps they should look for Alphys? Anyway, they had been looking forward to meeting her.

So they trudge along to Hotland, the temperature gradually increasing.

When they entered it, they saw that the place was still as warm and steamy as ever. The cracks on the dry, earthy ground, the burnt rocks and cooled lava … Carefully, Frisk continued walking, watchful of where they step.

They crossed the wooden bridge where Undyne had stopped chasing them the first time they met. They also remembered the water cooler …

It was still there but to their surprise, Sans was there too.

"Hey." He said, raising a cup of water.

Frisk waved back apprehensively, recalling what last happened in Snowdin.

"Want a cup of water? You're looking a little bone dry." Sans grinned wider.

They shake their head. "I have to go."

"What's the hurry, kid? I didn't know you were working against time." Sans said, taking a sip from the cup. "I'm not a big fan of those. You know, time limits, deadlines ...:"

Frisk bit their lip. They wished they were anywhere else but here. Had Sans been following them? Or was it just their misfortune that they ran into him again?

Sans finished chugging down the water. Crushing the cup in his hand, his gaze turned hard and steely. "Anyway, kid. Whatever it is that you're working on, I hope for your sake you aren't gonna screw up and piss me off. Let's be honest here, I'm not so fond of you right now. Touch me or my brother, and you're going to have a bad time."

"I don't plan to do anything to you or your brother." Frisk returned. They felt offended that Sans would even think that way.

"Right. And that is why Papyrus is with Undyne now, looking to join the Royal Guard. He hadn't even a notion of what that was until you came along."

Frisk looked surprised. That was fast. (They silently thank Napstablook for delivering the letter telling him to find Undyne.) Does Papyrus checked his mail every half an hour? But they regained their composure and focused on Sans. "I just thought it might be something he was interested in."

Sans looked cynical. "How would you know?"

 _Because I'm from the future!_

"I have to go," Frisk repeated and then ran past Sans who thankfully didn't stop them.

They headed straight to Alphys's lab, entering it quickly.

Just like the first time they got here, it was dark. Then, Frisk heard a resounding crash from upstairs and a muffled scream.

"Alphys?" They call. Frisk hurriedly went over to where they heard the crash. As they went up, they saw a huge boxes and books on the floor, squashing a yellow tail …

Alarmed, they rush over and started pulling the boxes off, revealing a frightened and pained Alphys underneath.

"Oh … oh my god." She stammered trying to sit up. Frisk helped support her, passing her the glasses that had fallen onto the ground. Thankfully they weren't cracked and Alphys put them on.

She peered around the place and then at Frisk. "Oh my, thank you for, for saving me! I … I was just … trying to unpack my err …" They both looked at the manga volumes scattered across the floor.

"... my Human History collection." Alphys laughed nervously. "I'm so sorry. I … I was just appointed - just moved here. Everything is so, m - messy …"

Sure enough, they could make out, even in the darkness, dozens of huge cardboard boxes, a variety of electronic and futuristic-looking gadgets in corners, and a variegation of metal parts strewn across the floor. But, it didn't bother Frisk. They were just happy to see Alphys.

"Don't worry about it." Frisk said, patting her back.

Alphys looked even more apologetic. "The, the lights … the electricity isn't running, y, yet … I'm sorry. I must have err, met you somewhere? You … you know my name."

However, before they could speak, Alphys cried out loud. "Please forgive me! I have a really, really, b, bad memory … I've met so many people this week. I, I can't remember everyone."

Frisk smiled, "I'm Frisk. I'm a human. I heard about you and came to find you."

Alphys looked surprised. "Human? You heard about … me?"

They quickly replied. "I fell into the Underground. The monsters said you can help me with something."

"Oh, oh my … I didn't think - I thought … I mean. I just moved here … I didn't know Asgore would err … publicise m, me so quickly …"

Frisk pulled out the diary from their haversack and showed it to her with the lock-picking set. "I have to open this lock. I lost the key. Could you help me?"

Alphys adjusted her glasses, peering at the diary and then the lock-picking set. "I'll help you! After all, you … you saved my life. But we err, won't be needing that," she pointed to the lock-picking set. "I … I actually have something that can … destroy the lock. Would you mind?"

They shook their head. They just need it opened anyway.

"G, great! B, but … the electricity isn't up yet … so … I need a while to put together everything …" Alphys looked at Frisk worriedly.

They wave it off. "Take as much time as you need."

As Alphys goes on to set up the Lab. Frisk awkwardly helped her unpack her items, arranging the books neatly on the shelf. Although the scientist was surprised to see that they had arranged it exactly how she would have done in her mind, she was more mortified to explain that she had a passion for anime and manga.

Alphys was also embarrassed to reveal that she had idolised Undyne for a long time when Frisk asked about the scale cream and armour polish they had found in a separate box.

"I … I, had been uhh … meaning to g, give that away to Undyne …" Alphys stammered, her face red as beetroot.

Then Frisk thought that perhaps they should give away the lock-picking set to Papyrus. Anyway, they didn't need it anymore now that Alphys had something more efficient. It would be a nice, late Christmas gift too. So they told Alphys they were going to head to Snowdin for a bit and left.

When Frisk arrived at Papyrus's and Sans's house however, they found that no one was home. A little puzzled, they wonder where Papyrus could have gone. Then, they remembered Sans saying that Papyrus had gone to find Undyne!

So they hurried to Waterfall, going over to Undyne's place. And sure enough, just as they arrived at the doorstep, the jagged-toothed doors opened and Papyrus stepped out.

"Bye, Undyne!" He waved cheerfully and she happily waved back.

Frisk came over to Papyrus and passed him his gift.

He looked absolutely delighted. "WOWIE. A Christmas present? For me? Thanks, Human! Of course. Someone as great as me would deserve all this good fortune lately! Did you know that Undyne accepted me into the Royal Guard?"

Already?

They were happy for Papyrus though, of course. And told him they knew he was going to be accepted from the start which practically made him glow with pride. They then bid him goodbye, saying they had something to do but will visit him again in Snowdin.

After Papyrus went off, Frisk knocked on the door to Undyne's. Perhaps they could talk to her and find about her meeting Papyrus earlier. Something just seems a little off …

The door opened and Undyne looked surprised, then happy to see Frisk there. "Oh. It's you. Come in!"

Frisk entered the brightly-lit house, feeling strange Undyne was a lot warmer than before.

"Make yourself at home," Undyne gestured to the table with chairs. "Do you want anything to drink?"

They paused. "Tea?"

"Got it!"

There was a moment of awkward silence before Frisk finally broke the ice. "So you met Papyrus?"

Undyne jumped at the name. "Yeah!" she said enthusiastically from the kitchen counter as she prepared the tea. "He's actually pretty good! Just like what you said! I'm glad you recommended him to me!"

Frisk nodded. A few more seconds passed.

"He's a great guy," Undyne continued, putting in massive amounts of sugar in the kettle. "I'm going to give him cooking lessons too! We're both really into spaghetti!" Then she paused. "Okay, maybe him more than me ..:"

It was a little strange Undyne was so hyped up. Usually she was more … brash.

"So … you let him join the Royal Guard?"

"Uh huh!" Undyne said, switching off the fire as the kettle whistled. Then, she started pouring the tea into two cups. "He's really cool," she said quickly as she turned around with two cups of boiling-hot tea.

She walked to the table and set them down. "He's enthusiastic and funny … He loves making his geeky puzzles … And you know," she said thoughtfully as she sat down, "he's really good at listening to people and making others laugh."

They were starting to get a little weirded out at this point. Frisk was getting more uncomfortable by the second and felt like they should stop Undyne.

"Hey, Undyne," they start.

"Hmm?"

"Have you seen Alphys lately? She's got some scale cream and armour polish for you," said Frisk.

"Alphys? Who's Alphys? I'd love to meet her though, if she's got scale cream I can use. They are starting to flake …" Undyne looked at her arm, frowning. "But," she said brightly, "Papyrus told me they looked fine. Did you hear that? He said they looked fine!"

Frisk stopped breathing. Undyne hasn't met Alphys? Does that mean that only Alphys knows who Undyne is? A cold feeling of dread washed over them. They may have just messed something up …

"Undyne …" they said with trepidation. This was so hard to ask. A lump had formed in Frisk's throat. They swallowed and took a deep breath. "You don't like Papyrus, do you?"

Undyne flushed and her face turned an even darker shade of blue. Her yellow eyes showed panic then anger, then embarrassment.

"N, no!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "I, I mean I do! But as the Head of the Royal Guard. I, uhh … see a lot of potential in him!"

Frisk had never felt worse or more sick in their life. "I have something to do," they said as they backed towards the door. "I'll see you later, Undyne. Thanks for the tea."

Then they ran out, leaving the cup of tea on the table untouched.

* * *

Frisk wanted to die. Literally. If only monsters still attacked them! It would make things so much easier! Feeling like they had suffered some sort of blunt trauma, they paced back and forth in the Quiet Area of Waterfall.

How could this have happened? Perhaps they should have introduced Undyne to Alphys first. Was Undyne troubled or lonely? She mentioned how Papyrus was good at listening to people. Maybe, if Undyne had talked to Alphys first, things would work out the right way.

There's only one thing Frisk can do now. They wonder if they were still able to do this, though. It's been a while …

Frisk stopped pacing and stood still. Then they closed their eyes and let the darkness envelope them. The noise disappeared. Thinking hard about what they wanted to do, they manage to summon the glowing, orange, RESET button.

Frisk struggled to keep their breathing even, fully aware that all progress made will be lost. Fighting against their instincts, they press hard and fast on the button, before they change their mind.

And then, the ground opened up as they fell into the darkness. Frisk could no longer feel anything, anymore ...


	5. Failure

_And then, before I knew what was happening, I was tied up and thrown into the pond to drown. Heh. I wish I did …_

Feeling returned into Frisk's body and they quickly sat up, gasping for air. Once again, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of their lungs. They held their head which was pounding harder than ever.

What was that? Was it a dream? Whose voice was that in their head? They were confused and lost. They were pretty sure they weren't hearing memories … After all, Asriel and Chara were still alive. This voice was new … They felt around to make sure they weren't still half-conscious. They felt the golden flowers, the hard ground, their pinch on the arm. Okay, everything was working.

 _Wait for me, Asriel._ Frisk thought as they stood up slowly. _I'm going to save you and Chara both._

They ran past the Ruins, past Froggits and Moldsmals … only stopping at Toriel's Home to pick up Chara's diary and the red haversack. Then, they got out quickly and headed for Snowdin.

The cold air hit them like a punch. It was near impossible to run through Snowdin Forest when a blizzard was on the way. Once again, Frisk felt the curious stares on their back but paid them no heed. They had to fix their mistakes in their last run quickly.

Then they stopped. But they did do a reset after all … there was no reason to think they were running out of time. Feeling guilty for being so self-occupied, they turned back and helped out the Gyftrots and other monsters in the area.

After leaving Lesser Dog (whom Frisk petted for 10 minutes straight), they crossed the bridge to Snowdin town. For the second time, they saw a badly disguised trap on the ground and a pile of snow at the corner.

They giggle in spite of themself, knowing already, what was going to happen as they cautiously stepped around the trap.

"HEY!" The skeleton jumped out from the snow.

They run over to hug Papyrus again who asked if this was some sort of sneak attack.

Sometimes, starting all over again wasn't so bad with great friends like him …

* * *

 _There he was, his brother being a kind of doofus, trying to capture a human with his traps. He on the other hand, just keeps making awful jokes._

" _Sans! What did you do?!" Papyrus cried angrily after getting electrocuted._

" _I think the human has to hold the orb." He said, trying to suppress his laughter._

 _Then, that scene disappeared and faded slowly to darkness. There was a flash of blue in his left eye and suddenly, he found himself looking at a human child, filled with hatred._

" _On days like these, kids like you … ."_

 _And then, he raised his hand, attacking the child before they could even react. In approximately 5 seconds, he had killed them. He felt a strange sense of both justified anger and fear, staring at the bloodied mess on the floor. Somehow, he knew that he would have to re-live this fight again._

 _Then that scene faded to darkness. Sans was back to looking at himself in third person, staring at a door at a cave. He knocked twice._

" _Who's there?" rang a voice._

" _Toby."_

" _Toby who?"_

" _To - by (be) honest, Snowdin's not so cold if ya don't have skin." He snickered._

 _The voice on the other side of the door laughed too, albeit a little forcefully. He tried another joke, and then another, but the laughter on the other side sounded less enthusiastic with every bad joke and pun. So he decided to ask what was up._

 _Finally, the voice replied, her tone serious. "Hey, hear me out?"_

" _Yeah?" he answered._

 _The voice hesitated for a moment._ _"If a human ever comes through this door... could you please, please promise something? Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?"_

 _It was a strange request and Sans wasn't so keen on it. Especially not after what happened to Asriel … But the lady sounded so heart-broken and pleading. Maybe he'll do it. She was his friend after all, and he trusted her._

" _Sure, lady. I will."_

Sans woke up from his slumber perspiring profusely. What was that? He knew he should never have taken an afternoon nap. They always result in the weirdest dreams. He climbed out of bed, groaning. He had a throbbing headache now …

This dream was undeniably unusual though, even for afternoon nap-dreams. And that's saying a lot. He wondered who the characters in his dream were. Sure, he recognised Papyrus but who was that human child in the striped shirt? Somehow, they seem familiar, like he's met them before. Then, there was that voice from the Ruins. But surely no one lives there now … the Royal Family has gone to their New Home anyway, just before Gaster's fall …

 _Gaster._ Something clicked in him as he walked down the stairs to the living room. Could he be possibly seeing what Gaster saw …? Then, this means …

" _Are you able to see the future? Or possible futures? What about other timelines?" his friend asked eagerly, pen on his clipboard, ready to move at any second._

 _Sans frowned, closing his eyes then opening them. "No …"_

 _His friend scribbled something down quickly before checking Sans's neuron activities on a monitor next to him. "That's odd … You should be able to do that now ..."_

Sans came back to present time. Could this be what Gaster was referring to then? Of course, they both knew that there was a possibility of another timeline and multiple futures, but no one has ever been able to see it before. Sans remembered undergoing lots of experimentations to try and do just that … to no avail. However, Gaster did see something in his sleep one night but didn't specify what exactly. It had lead him to his death though …

But that was technically Sans's fault too … He felt his knees weaken as he recalled the incident. Although Gaster was disturbed and mentally affected by what he saw, Sans shouldn't have tweaked the machine to allow him to travel to the future … It didn't work. Something went wrong. He had messed something up.

He had killed his friend.

Sans stayed there, sitting at the foot of his stairs, head buried in his knees for a few minutes.

 _Breathe,_ he told himself. _You're not gonna mess with Time anymore. No one's gonna get hurt anymore._

Lifting his head, he realised the sun was about to set and that there was a raging blizzard outside. Papyrus isn't back yet and that worries him a little.

He picked himself up and pushed all other thoughts of the past to the back of the head. Now, he needed to focus on finding Papyrus. So he grabbed his keys and headed to the door, bracing himself for the snow storm.

* * *

Frisk thought they saw Sans's grin falter for half a second when their eyes connected.

"This is awesome! Have you ever tried spaghetti, Sans?" Papyrus said excitedly, spraying sauce everywhere but it barely affected the both of them.

"Hey." Sans said, his hand, already strapped to a whoopee cushion, on autopilot, even though his brain was firing off multiple things at the same time. What is this? Déjà vu? Some weird cruel twist of fate? Why was this human child from his dreams here with Papyrus?

And the worst part is, for some reason, he feels like he actually knows this kid. Like he's seen or met them somewhere, sometime before, outside of a dream.

He could hear Papyrus telling the kid not to take the hand because of the whoopee cushion and the child giggled nervously.

Frisk saw that Sans had retracted his hand and didn't talk much. He stood silent, thinking. He was hearing but not really listening.

"SANS!" Papyrus yelled, waving a hand in front of his brother's face. "Did you hear me? I asked for the time!"

Sans jerked. "Oh, uh … half-past eight."

"ALREADY? I haven't prepared for my next puzzle yet! We must head home now!"

Following that, on cue, Papyrus mentioned that he was having Frisk over tonight. They look at Sans whose expression on the surface was unreadable, but looked somehow, agitated and afraid.

"Is everything alright?" Frisk asked softly.

Sans glanced at Frisk and quickly chuckled. "I'm just worried he may get mad at -"

"Whoopee cushions." Frisk finished. Then, they continued. "What's really wrong, Sans? Do you hate guests in your house? Or do you hate me?"

Their heartbeat quickened. They couldn't believe they just asked him that! But then again, he was acting strange. Unlike Papyrus who behaved exactly the same way after Frisk reset, Sans was different … He wasn't saying the same things, doing the same things … So that means, he knows, right? That Frisk reset the timeline? That still doesn't explain why he seems to loathe them though.

"Heh." Sans looked at Frisk with an intensity. "As long as you don't steal all the ketchup. I'm okay."

They sigh. Why is he being so secretive?

"Anyway," he continued, "you go on ahead. I'll see ya later."

They thought about staying and asking Sans if he knew that Frisk just reset the timeline. But deciding it was too risky, they turned around and walked out of Grillby's instead. They were here to save Asriel and Chara. What Sans thought of them didn't matter so long as he didn't interfere with their plans.

Or at least, that's what Frisk was trying to convince themself.

* * *

As they lay on the couch that night, they thought carefully about what they needed to do. Bring Undyne to Alphys first. However, they still gave Papyrus the idea of being a Royal Guard though, because why not? They just have to make sure this was after Undyne has been acquainted with Alphys.

Then, they heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, they saw Sans.

"Hungry?" They ask.

Sans looked surprised. "Yeah … and uhh. Thought you might want this." He threw Frisk a blanket.

"Thanks."

He shrugged and headed to the kitchen. "Want anything?"

They shook their head.

A moment later, Sans emerged with a plate of hot fries. "So why are you here?"

Frisk realised they weren't holding the diary in their hands like the last time. "Umm … I fell in. It was an accident."

The skeleton gave them a strange look. They weren't really sure what to make of it. Frisk quickly looked away. They remembered asking Sans about just moving into town.

"Where did you come from?" They questioned, staring at their hands. "Papyrus said you guys just moved to Snowdin."

Sans paused. "Did uh, Papyrus say anything else?"

They fiddled with their thumbs. What would happen if they brought up time travel right now? Of course, they had no evidence to suggest the two came here by time travel but Sans seemed to be acting weirdly, hinting that he might know something.

Alright fine. Frisk rationalised. It's still a pretty weak reason to suddenly bring up time travel.

They shake their head again. "No."

Sans grinned wider. "Welp. You know, my memory's not what it used to be."

Frisk didn't feel like engaging in conversation anymore. They curled up in a ball and wrapped the blanket around them. "I know. Goodnight, Sans."

"Goodnight, kid." They hear Sans reply, followed by his footsteps shuffling up the stairs.

They close their eyes, feeling tired and … disappointed? They weren't quite sure why. What were they expecting anyway? Maybe they _should_ have brought up time travel. Perhaps Sans does know more than he was letting on.

All this was just speculation though … Frisk couldn't confirm if Sans knowing something this time round was the reason as to why he was acting a little differently.

They sighed and tried to sleep. It was an hour or two before they finally manage to drift off …

* * *

The next morning, Frisk woke up to find the same plate of spaghetti and note on the ground. Finally. Some consistency. They breathed and let out a sigh of relief. So, it was Christmas Eve today.

They got up to find Papyrus in the kitchen writing on his Christmas gift list.

"Human! You are awake!" He exclaimed in surprise as he tried to hide his list.

Frisk pointed to it. "Need help?"

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly with them finding everything they needed almost instantaneously. Of course, Frisk tried their best to act confused or unaware so that Papyrus wasn't too shocked.

It was still fun though. _Re-living Christmas never gets boring._ Frisk decided. The atmosphere and spirit were as festive as ever.

Finally, they got home and got on with wrapping the presents. They thought it looked much better the second time round. And as expected, Papyrus was praising Frisk's work when he came home to see it.

Then, he pulled out something from behind him. It was a green box with a silver ribbon around it. "This is for you," he said, handing it to Frisk. "But don't open it yet! Wait 'till Christmas tomorrow!"

They took it with shock. _This_ was unexpected. Well, sure, he did give them a present the last time round but he only did it because Sans told him they were looking for a key right? But Frisk hadn't said anything last night! A burning curiosity ignited in them as they wondered what could be inside.

"SAN'S PRESENT!" Papyrus suddenly exclaimed.

Frisk barely looked up. They turned over the box and shook it, putting it to their ear. They were trying to discern what was inside. "I think Sans will appreciate a pet rock," they mumbled.

A slow smile crept across Papyrus's face. "Yes … YES! That's IT! A ROCK!"

That night, they found themself on the rooftop, star, well, rock-gazing with Papyrus just like before. The snow fell just as gently. Soon, the skeleton was fast asleep and although it was the second time Frisk had seen this scene, they still thought it was adorable.

"Hey, kid," said a gruff voice from behind.

"He's asleep," replied Frisk, standing up, brushing off the snow from their lap. "Need help with carrying him to bed?"

Sans gave them a peculiar look. "Err … no? How 'bout you just wait in the living room, kid."

They shrug and head back down. A moment later, Sans appeared on the stairs.

"You know, I almost couldn't get his present done on time this year. This is the first time he's asked for an action figure of himself as a Royal Guard. I wonder who put that idea in his head." Sans said as he came towards Frisk.

Was this when they opened Papyrus's present? It was, right? They reach for his gift that was on the sofa.

"Is it midnight?" they ask.

"Yep …"

Frisk quickly unwrapped it, almost yanking and throwing the lid across the room. It landed on the carpeted floor instead. Sans watched on silently.

It was a glass sculpture of a key, a little tinier than Frisk's head.

They sucked in their breath. Time seemed to have slowed to a stop. Frisk looked at Sans. "What … did you tell him …?"

Sans met their gaze. "I had a feeling … you seem like the key collector sort."

Frisk shakily put the sculpture back into the box. "You know …"

"What do I know?" Sans returned.

They were suddenly overcome with emotion. Maybe it was the stress of having to reset everything and losing their progress. Maybe it was because they missed everyone and life on the surface. Or maybe it was because Sans was being so … difficult!

"Why are you acting like this?" They whispered, feeling their voice die again. "What do you want from me?"

"I should be asking you that. It's funny because I was about to," said Sans with a flicker of blue in his left eye. "It's like you just took the words right outta my mouth."

Frisk felt the tears falling. In a sick sort of way, they were happy for the consistency. They ended up crying around this point in time in the last run too. They smiled sadly and turned around, wiping away their tears on their sleeve.

"Do you … do you believe in time travel?"

Sans looked at them long and hard.

"Nope."

Frisk knew it. They turned back to Sans. "I … I should go." They put the sculpture back in the box and shoved it in the haversack. "I'm sorry for intruding. Thank you, for having me."

Hardening their heart, they took up the haversack and left the house. They've got to focus on their reason for coming here. If they can save Asriel and Chara successfully, maybe then, Sans will finally be less mean to them and realise, they're here with good intentions …

Right?

* * *

This kid. Who are they? How in the world did they have this bizarre and disturbing way of knowing everything? It was as if they already knew what he was going to say and do before he actually said and done certain things. This was definitely no regular spy. Sure, investigators may know certain quirks or habits, but they can't predict the future with 100% accuracy!

But maybe, the idea wasn't so crazy. After all, he somehow had a hunch they were in the Underground looking for a key …

Where did that come from? Sans wasn't even entirely sure. It was such a strong hunch, almost like a distant memory that he can't recall. It was tearing him up inside. No matter how hard he tried, he just can't summon those memories from the recesses of his mind. It was as if they existed and didn't exist at the same time. But whatever the case was, seeing the kid's reaction to the gift had confirmed that Sans knew something they thought he didn't.

Once again, who was this kid? Sure he had seen them in a very vivid dream but there was definitely something more to them. Have they met before?

He tossed around in bed. The possibility of them being sent to investigate Papyrus and himself were growing smaller. They didn't think they were here for this motive anymore. Especially after they had asked if he believed in time travel.

Were they … were they a time traveler too?

Sans sat up quickly. _Okay, slow down. Let's think this through carefully._

In all of Sans's years of work and research, there has been no evidence of monsters being able to time-travel. Or at least, not with their own magic. Let alone a human who had no magic at all! But for some reason, the way they act strongly hinted that they had been through what they've just been through before. There was no way they could have known what Papyrus's and his every move was unless they've already re-lived meeting them.

So let's say they are a time-traveler. Then what? Is that reason enough to trust them? Being able to time-travel doesn't mean that they aren't in cahoots with Chara whom he's pretty sure, is up to something. This Chara kid really creeps him out and it just seems too coincidental that another abnormal human child would appear right after the Royal Family had moved to their New Home.

He let out a frustrated noise that was between a groan and a sigh. This was impossible. He needed concrete answers. Maybe he shouldn't have scared away the child … He did feel guilty for being so harsh. But he just couldn't risk the possibility of them having intentions to hurt him or Papyrus.

Soon, the darkness faded away to light and he heard Papyrus's cackling next door. For some odd reason, he had a feeling his brother had a gift for him which the human helped pick out.

Not wanting to question it, he shook his head and got up. Time to get this day started.

* * *

Watching the cosmos with Napstablook and Ghost-Mettaton again was a relaxing experience. Frisk never realised how much they took their friendship for granted. They all got along really well together, and both of them are always great company. Finally, Frisk felt somewhat back to normal again …

Here, they remembered asking Napstablook about why he was so depressed. Of course, now, they knew but just for consistency's sake, they'll ask him again. It's so comfortable lying on the floor like this though … But they tore themself from the floorboard anyway and sat up, asking him why he was looking so down.

This set off the same conversation about Blooky's cousin becoming a training dummy and following his dreams. Then, they dropped Ghost-Mettaton a hint about Alphys.

"Mettaton," they said quickly. "I think Alphys can help you … with achieving your dream body, being the Royal Scientist. You should look for her in Hotland sometime."

Ghost-Mettaton looked hopeful. "Really? I think I might, then!"

Alright. Now that's done. This was the time when Frisk left too. So they got up and bid goodbye to the two ghosts even though they didn't really want to leave. However, catching Undyne outside at the right timing was top priority.

Napstablook followed them out, down the path to the Quiet Area of Waterfall. Unfortunately, Frisk couldn't hear any sounds of clanging metal armour. Did they mess something up? Why was Undyne not coming?

"Uh … did you forget something?" Napstablook asked, wondering why they were standing still.

2 seconds later, Frisk could make out the faint sound of armour clanging. "Listen," they hushed Napstablook.

Finally, Undyne appeared, clad in her full body armour. They were relieved to see that they had just left Napstablook's too early.

"Who's that?" they whisper.

"That's Undyne … she lives next door … and she's so, cool …"

Frisk ran towards her, "Undyne!"

She removed her helmet. Fire-red locks fell from the back of a blue scalp. "Yeah? How can I help …" Then she trailed off, realising the child was human … and that they look familiar?

Must be all the heat and mental exhaustion from training earlier. It's all messed up her head. One thing's for sure though. This child was still human.

"You're from the -"

"Undyne," said Frisk quickly and firmly. "You have to follow me."

"What?" The soldier's yellow eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Frisk pointed to her face. "Your scales look dry. We need to hydrate them and I know someone with the scale cream to do that."

Undyne looked a little offended. "I'm not going anywhere, punk. Who do you think you are?!"

They sigh. Why does everyone always make things so hard for them? As quick as lightning, Frisk snatched Undyne's helmet from her gloved hands. Before she had time to react, they took off, running like the wind towards Hotland.

"HEY! My helmet!" Undyne cried angrily and charged after them.

Frisk laughed, reminiscing how nostalgic this chase felt.

They both ran to Hotland where Undyne slowed down due to the heat. Frisk saw Sans standing next to the water cooler.

"Thank you!" they said as they grabbed the cup from his hand and hurled the water at Undyne.

"Aargh!" she cried.

Then they continued running past Sans to Alphys's lab. It was dark but it was also cool. Frisk slowed down and backed away from Undyne as she marched towards them menancingly.

Any moment now …

One second later, there was a huge crash and a muffled scream.

"What was that?" Undyne demanded.

"Alphys!" Frisk cried and ran up as Undyne followed them.

Soon, the two of them were pulling off the heavy boxes and books that were crushing the scientist. Frisk handed Alphys her glasses.

Undyne looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Oh … oh my god." She stammered trying to sit up. Frisk helped support her as she put on her glasses, peering around. The moment she saw Undyne however, she got visibly more nervous.

"Oh, oh my! U, Undyne?! W, what are … what are you doing here? Oh my god - everything is so m, messy …"

Undyne glared at Frisk who still had her helmet. They threw it back and she caught it swiftly. "I had to deal with a snatch thief."

"I'm sorry," said Frisk who tried their best not to laugh as Alphys frantically explained what she had been unpacking to Undyne.

Fortunately, Undyne didn't look weirded out in the least. In fact, she looked quite interested and was amused at Alphys's nervousness and embarrassment.

They walked over to the box which contained the scale cream and armour polish and called for Alphys.

"Y, yes?" She jumped, shoving up her glasses and coming over.

"Aren't these for Undyne?" Frisk said pointing to the box. Alphys turned red as a beetroot.

"I heard my name!" Undyne was coming over.

Alphys started panicking. "Oh … oh my god -"

"Hey! Scale cream and armour polish!" Undyne exclaimed, peering into the box. "I really need these! Can I have some?"

Alphys looked as if she was about to faint. "S, sure …"

"Neat!"

Giggling to themself, Frisk watched as the two interacted. They sighed in satisfaction. It looked as if they were having fun although Alphys was still a little uptight and nervous. But she looked a nervous kind of happy … judging from her giggling and constant staring at Undyne as they set up the place together. Frisk gave a small pat on their back for successfully playing Cupid. Then, they remembered they still had to ask for Alphys's help with opening the diary.

Walking up to her, they showed her the green diary and asked if she was able to open the lock.

"Y, yes! I'd be glad to help. You saved my l, life! B, but … the electricity isn't up yet … so … I, I need a while to put together everything …" Alphys looked at Frisk worriedly.

Frisk smiled and patted her back. "Take as much time as you need."

Then, turning to Undyne, they told her about Papyrus. She distractedly told them to "send him to me" as she continued to inspect Alphys's belongings.

Feeling pleased with themself, Frisk left the diary with the scientist and went off to find Papyrus to tell him to seek out Undyne. To their surprise however, as soon as they exited the Lab, they saw Sans outside, presumably waiting for them.

 _Oh no._ They thought.

"Hey kid," Sans raised a hand.

Was that a friendly greeting?

"I was uhh … wondering," he said, looking unsure. "You aren't a spy, right?"

Frisk looked affronted even though he basically hinted at that in the last run. Perhaps it was because he was so straightforward this time? Well, in any case, they shook their head quickly.

"Oh. Good then … I guess." Sans tilted his head to one side, as if trying to figure them out. "So why are you here?"

Hasn't he asked that already?

"I fell in … accident. Went hiking -"

"I mean your real reason."

Frisk stared at Sans. _Would he believe them if they told the truth?_ With a jump, they cover their mouth quickly. Right after they had thought that, they realised they had echoed it out. Sans expression remain unchanged. There was a pause.

"Probably not. But I'd like to hear it anyway."

Was their heartbeat audible? It seemed to be getting louder and louder. Frisk took in a huge breath. Well, he asked for it.

"I'm from the future. I came here to save Asriel who is about to be killed by Chara."

And then, without waiting for a response, they ran past him again. It was becoming a standard thing to do now with every Sans encounter.

Frisk was so fixated on what they had just said that they forgot they could have taken a boat to Snowdin from Hotland. Well, it was too late anyway. They didn't even realise that they had run all this way to Snowdin until their lungs started to physically hurt and they felt like hurling. Stopping to catch their breath, they put their hands on their knees.

What was that anyway? Why did they tell him that?

It was probably because they were tired of pretending …

Or because they just wanted to confide in someone ...

Or even because they wanted to know what was Sans's reaction.

Well, too bad they didn't stand around to see that.

Sighing, Frisk decided they didn't want to think about it anymore. They had to focus on the task at hand, saving Asriel and Chara. So then … why were they in Snowdin?

Oh right. Papyrus. They wanted to tell Papyrus to find Undyne.

They walk to his house and knock on the door. There was no answer. So they knock again. 5 seconds later, Papyrus who was wearing a red, Santa hat, appeared at the door, surprised to see Frisk.

"Human!"

He let them in and they saw he had the TV on which was currently broadcasting Christmas drama specials and advertisements. Ignoring the programmes altogether, he started to excitedly tell them about Christmas and Sans's pet rock. Frisk felt a little bad they forgot to get him something this time round. They were also trying to find an opening to tell him about Undyne …

"Oh Human," he suddenly paused, looking at them curiously. "You look a little … err … serious. Are you thinking about something?" Then he said brightly, "Oh ho! I know! You have a gift for me!"

Could he also remember parts of the last run too? But nevermind that, Frisk had to think quickly.

"Err, I … I do! I went to find Undyne and she said she's willing to train you!"

Papyrus looks delighted. "WOWIE! You are such a cool friend! I'm sure Undyne will appreciate someone as great as me too!"

Frisk wiped away the perspiration forming on their brow. Phew!

All of a sudden, a loud sound startled the both of them. It came from the TV.

"Oh! That's the news …" Papyrus said, staring at the screen.

"Breaking news!" the host said frantically. "Chaos has come to the Underground in the form of a small but lethal militant group led by none other than the Head of the Royal Guard - Undyne!"

"What?!" Frisk and Papyrus exclaim in unision.

"I'll let our reporter, Betty on ground, tell you more." And then the camera switched to a flustered looking reporter with a microphone. She was standing in the CORE as Royal Guards ran all about her, spears and magic flying in the background.

"It's madness! Undyne and her team of three Guards most loyal to her, just tried to take over the New Home in an attempt to kill the King and Queen's adopted child! They are currently fighting off the rest of the Royal Guards -"

Frisk who had been watching with their mouth ajar, clenched their teeth and fists. They had to know what was going on!

So they ran out of the house to the River person.

"Take me to Hotland!" they said breathlessly.

A moment later, they had arrived and was running through Alphys's lab which for some reason, had a charred dent on the floor. Then, they suddenly heard Alphys calling out to them.

"Huh?" Frisk skidded to a stop, looking back at a shaking Alphys who had come out from the door with a bathroom sign. In her hands, was the green diary … opened.

"You, you opened it …" they point to it in shock.

Alphys clutched at the diary tighter, trying to hide her shaking. "Undyne … she opened it with her spears. Oh my god … D, did you know …? This is Chara's … They want to k - kill … destroy humanity …"

Oh no! They saw its contents? Was that why …

"Undyne … she went to … she's gonna - s, stop them!"

Frisk turned their back to Alphys, taking off again. They ignore her cries to wait. This can't be happening, this can't be happening … _why_ is this happening?

They reach the CORE. It was, as the reporter had described it, chaos. There was screaming, loud explosions and debris everywhere. Frisk wormed their way through the Royal Guards running about. Where was Undyne?

They dare not call out or do anything that will draw attention to themself. Being small had its advantages. Soon, they were able to reach the end of the CORE where it got even more chaotic.

Trying not to get knocked or hit over by the Royal Guards, they attempt to look over the sea of helmets to spot their warrior friend.

Then, by luck or by misfortune, they saw from their corner of their eye, a flash of brightest blue. They turned their head and saw a spear fly and peirce the ground, Royal Guards ducking and dodging everywhere. Frisk fell to their knees from the impact which sent trembles across the floor even though they were hundreds of metres away.

"Undyne -" their voice was drowned out by more Royal Guards yelling orders.

Then, as they raise their head, they saw, right at that exact moment, Undyne who was fighting at least 10 to one, get run through from behind by a metal spear.

They weren't sure who the resounding scream came from. Perhaps it was from the both of them. It seemed to happen at the same time.

Frisk clutched their throat, choking on their tears. Why? _Why?!_

Some of the Royal Guards had begun to notice them. But Frisk was faster. They had already drowned out all the sounds. They were underwater, surrounded by darkness.

There was an orange glow and a second later, Frisk mercifully felt nothing, anymore.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahhh ... poor Frisk. I would be so happy if I had some feedback on what everyone else thinks. This chapter got really emotional for me at the end ...**


	6. Pain

_Then, I realised, nobody loved because nobody could. All humans are after all, inherently evil._

Frisk woke up gasping for air as they once did. They coughed violently as they grasped at their sweater. Their eyes filled up with tears as their lungs desperately fill themselves with air. Slowly, eventually, the pain began to ebb away to a dull ache in the head.

They lie back down on the grass, chest still heaving. A RESET had never felt so painful. Frisk definitely didn't remember it hurting this much … Maybe they've done it too quickly, too often …

They also noted the voice in their head just before they regained consciousness and feeling. It was the same voice that spoke of drowning in the last run … And both times, hearing it sent shivers down Frisk's spine. It was definitely not a very soothing voice to listen to. It was so strange though and at first, they suspect it might have just been a warped dream or their imagination playing tricks on them but now they weren't so sure.

Frisk lay there, closing their eyes, feeling the sun on their face. Everything was quiet. It was warm. It was serene.

Then, a piercing scream jolted them up again. Frisk grabbed their head. _Stop!_

The scream belonged to Undyne who died in the last run due to their carelessness. _It was all my fault._

How could they have messed up? They were so careful up until the end … Frisk looked down at their hands, palms facing up. Is this really worth it? All this pain?

But they had a responsibility to their friends right? Even though they may not remember them, they had a responsibility to create a happy ending for them, right? After all, they had these … abilities. There must be a reason as to why they were bestowed with such gifts. Not using them would almost be going against God if there ever was one out there.

 _Or are they the one playing God?_

They slowly got up and walked into the Ruins wondering if it was fair to everyone if they made their own decisions on how things should happen and what should occur next. Then again, they were only trying to make things "right" like how it was in the future.

But what was "right"? Was "right" in this current time the same as "right" in the future?

As Frisk wandered through in a daze, they almost crashed into a few Froggits and Moldsmals which they barely even glanced at. They just have to do what they have to do. Then everyone can be happy, then everyone can continue with their lives as per normal, then Frisk wouldn't have to hurt anymore …

They left the Ruins with the diary and the haversack quicker than they thought. Then again, they had barely interacted with anything they encountered along the way, always choosing to flee instead. Frisk hardly had the strength left in them to make meaningful conversations. It felt like they were an empty shell just going through the motions.

Snowdin Forest was no different. They fought through the blizzard blindly, almost aimlessly, never stopping, always walking. When it came to meeting Papyrus, they stopped, though they hardly glanced at him as he popped out indignantly from the snow.

Nevertheless, they still tried their best to answer him as enthusiastically as they can. "I'm Frisk," they said, just as they've said for the past few runs. "I'm human."

But what does it mean to be human anyway?

* * *

 _They were standing in a long corridor with marble tiles and golden pillars. The golden glow of the sun streaking in was beautiful and cast a magnificent and dramatic light to the place. Yet, he was feeling anything but magnificent. He felt suppressed rage, hatred, fear …_

 _All because of one human child. Everyone he knew and loved was gone._

" _Heya. You've been busy, huh?" He started._

 _The child glared at him silently. Welp. The feeling's mutual, sadist._

" _So, I've got a question for ya. Do you think even the worst person can change …?"_

 _Then, everything faded out. He never knew if the child replied but he did know that he regretted not killing the child on sight before he'd let them come this far. It was his own sense of nihilism, naivety even, that resulted in his lack of action. But if he were able to stop them now, at the very least he can save this timeline, and if he was hopeful, he might even convince the kid to do a reset before it was too late …_

Sans woke up. Another weird dream again, huh? He should really stop taking these afternoon naps.

Wait. What? _Another_ dream?

This was the only dream he's had this afternoon. But somehow he recalled others? He could remember having a dream where the same human child appeared in Snowdin Forest when Papyrus was trying to capture them, he could remember another one where he killed them, and he could remember another one where he made a promise to protect them.

Could this be …? Timelines he was seeing? If so, they were definitely set some time into the future because he's pretty sure he's never done any of that stuff in the past. He's never even encountered another human in the Underground other than Chara and even so, he's never met them directly.

But for some reason, the human in that blue sweater … they seem familiar. Like he's met them before. No, he's pretty sure he's met them somewhere or sometime before.

Also, if he what he was seeing were really timelines, in which one of them mentioned a … reset ability the human has, does that mean that this kid was able to reset timelines? Or even, travel through timelines?

 _Gaster._ He thought, thinking of his old friend. _Was this what you were referring to when you asked if I could see timelines? Heh. I finally can now, it seems._

This was probably what Gaster saw once in his dream too. A timeline … but what he saw must have been really, really horrifying. To the point where he became obsessed with travelling to the future to stop its events or prevent it from happening. He fell into depression even, and Sans remembered wanting to help out his friend and so managed to build a "travel forward in time" function in the machine …Or at least, he attempted to.

He continued laying in his bed, a forearm to his eyes. Even the feelings of regret and loss weren't unfamiliar. For what felt like the second time after his death, he apologised silently to his old friend ...

* * *

"This is awesome! Have you ever tried spaghetti, Sans?" Papyrus said excitedly, spraying sauce everywhere.

Frisk turned around slowly, they already knew what was going to happen next.

"Hi," they said first. Softly. Tonelessly.

"Hey," Sans replied. He didn't stick out his hand. _I know I've already met them before._

Even though he had absolutely no recollection of what had happened when he last met them, he just had a feeling he's been in this scenario at least once already. It was like déjà vu but with some kind of proof. After all, this same kid had just been in his dreams.

Frisk noted the skeleton hadn't offered a handshake. They wondered if this meant he knew something … but they were so exhausted and mentally drained, they didn't feel like questioning it at the moment.

The silence was so strained and uneasy that even Papyrus noticed.

"Sans?" Papyrus looked confused. "Why are you -"

His brother patted him on the arm. "I'm gonna head home first."

Something in Frisk snapped hearing that statement. _Stop! No more inconsistencies! Everything has to be right!_

They reach out and grab his coat as he was walking away. Sans stiffened.

"What is it, kid?"

Frisk's hand was trembling. What _is_ it? It was a good question. They didn't have the answer for that though. They had let their impulsivity get the better of them. Thus, they dropped their hand.

"N, nothing."

That night, Sans didn't come down to get his fries or give Frisk a blanket. Instead, it was Papyrus who came to visit them, wondering if they were alright as they seemed to be really down. They replied they were fine and that they were just exhausted from walking around on their own before meeting him.

The next morning, waking up, talking to Papyrus, and going gift shopping felt mechanical. Sure, Frisk was still humming Christmas tunes in accompaniment to Papyrus's singing but they just couldn't quite get into the mood. Even wrapping the Christmas presents felt more like a chore now.

Papyrus still gave them a present, however. This time, it was a red box with a silver ribbon and it looked larger than the green box they had received. Frisk wondered what was inside, but they knew for sure, it wasn't a glass sculpture of a key. They guessed Sans just didn't bother to drop the hint anymore.

However, for consistency's sake, they did still tell Papyrus to get him a pet rock. And with that, the rest of the day continued on as per "normal".

Well, until Sans came to carry Papyrus to bed. Frisk didn't even wait this time and went to the living room themself.

When Sans appeared on the stairs, they decided they should be leaving. After all, the last two times, this conversation didn't end so well.

"Thank you for having me," they say as Sans approached them. "I'll be going."

"Eh, hold on, kiddo," Sans said, stopping Frisk in their track. "There's something I've been meaning to ask ya."

"I'm not a spy and I'm not planning on hurting you or your brother," they reply, looking at the floor. They're not going to discuss this again.

However, to their surprise, Sans laughed. "That's not it."

They look at the skeleton standing in a line of moonlight. For some reason, he looked the least severe now, compared to the last few times they talked to him. In fact, he seemed more … curious instead.

"Do you believe in time travel?"

Frisk's jaw fell open. What? Wasn't that what they had been asking him all along?

"Yeah, I thought so," Sans sighed. "I've met you before, haven't I, kid?"

They kept mum. They weren't even sure if this was actually happening.

"I'm not ready to trust you yet, though." he continued with caution in his voice. "But, you know what _you_ shouldn't trust?"

Frisk kept quiet, waiting.

"Time." Sans finished quietly. "Don't mess with Time, kid."

Frisk scowled. What was he trying to say? It wasn't like they were reseting on purpose! How did he even find out about this anyway? Anger bubbled inside of them. After how he'd treated them for the past two runs … he had no right to tell them who they should and should not trust.

They turn their back on Sans and walked out of the door without a word.

* * *

This time, Sans wasn't there in Hotland and Frisk had to quickly pour a cup of water themself to splash on Undyne before continuing the run.

When they entered the cool lab, they both heard a loud crash and ran up to rescue Alphys.

 _Okay._ Frisk thought. _Now that Undyne's met Alphys, I just have to be here to make sure they don't read the diary._

As they helped Alphys set up the lab and clean up the place, they kept a close eye on those two. Alphys was inspecting the diary and a strange looking machine that resembled a hairdryer. Was she going to use that to open the lock?

Then, Undyne came over and asked if she needed help. Alphys shook her head, explaining the situation.

"No electricity?" Undyne repeated. "Fuhuhu! Who needs electricity when you've got magic?" And then she summoned a large spear.

Alphys looked as if she was about to faint or fangirl in awe. Frisk really couldn't decide.

"Now stand back!"

Undyne threw the diary onto the ground and jabbed the spear onto the lock with so much force that the impact sent the whole book as well as the lock's splinters flying into the air. It landed at Alphys's feet, pages open and facing up.

Frisk quickly rushed over and picked it up before Alphys could. "You did it!" They looked at Undyne with gratitude.

"Fuhuhu! That lock's even more pathetic than the wimpy losers I train everyday!"

They feel themself becoming hopeful for the first time in this run as they thumbed through the pages of the diary. This was it! They hurry back to their haversack, picking it up to put the diary inside. They'll go to Waterfall to read it in the privacy of Napstablook's. He won't question it. He's much too polite too. And perhaps then, Frisk can somehow form a plan …

But as they put the diary into the haversack, they realised that they had packed Papyrus's unopened present inside. They take it out and unwrap it slowly. It was a book full of the year's Junior Jumble puzzles.

Involuntarily, Frisk felt a lump in their throat. They sat down on the floor and flipped through the pages of the book. They could almost hear his voice.

" _In my opinion … Junior Jumble is easily the hardest."_

Papyrus was always so sweet. They felt so guilty for being such a wet blanket for the entire time they've been in Snowdin. Although they were tired and losing hope, they should have relied on friends to cheer them up and not push them away. Even if they had been doing the same things for the last two runs, poor Papyrus didn't know that, and it wasn't his fault either!

Still feeling guilty, Frisk hardly noticed that Ghost-Mettaton had come inside the lab. Did they come in after Undyne had left for New Home in the last run? Perhaps they were about to but found out about the chaos at the CORE and stayed home with Blooky.

Frisk sighed. They had been such a downer the whole day that even Blooky tried cheering them up instead! When they get back to Waterfall, they'll definitely get Christmas presents for Papyrus, Blooky and Ghost-Mettaton, to make things up with them.

Speaking of which, they look over to find out why Ghost-Mettaton was here.

Much to their surprise, they saw Ghost-Mettaton inspecting some sort of metal box that looked like a beta version of the Mettaton Frisk first met in the future.

"Umm … I, I can make you something like this …" Alphys said, gesturing to the box. "I, I've always wanted to build a robot and umm … this is a prototype."

Oh right … Frisk had told Ghost-Mettaton to seek out Alphys in Hotland while they were at Napstablook's. They didn't actually think they would come find her so soon though.

Ghost-Mettaton looked delighted the prototype. "It's not as flashy as I'd like it be but … Can I still try it?"

Alphys didn't look so keen. "I, I … but it's not ready -"

"Thank you, darling!" Ghost-Mettaton beamed disappeared inside the metal box.

Undyne who was watching, went to inspect the beta-Mettaton. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "There's a switch."

Without hesitating, she flicked it on. Nothing happened.

Alphys looked relieved. "Oh … it must have ran out of batt -"

However, the sentence ended in a yelp because lights started flashing on the screen of the metal box as a wheel popped up from beneath the robot. Long arms of about two metres each extended from the side, flailing about. This was certainly not the Mettaton Frisk had met.

"Oh no!" Alphys cried as she and Undyne ducked before the arms hit them.

"Aaaahhh!" The scream came from the robot, presumably Mettaton. "I - I can't control -"

The robot's flashing lights became more intense as it started to zoom around the room, crashing and hitting into various objects.

Frisk narrowly dodged being ran over and watched in horror as it found the door of the lab and zoomed right out.

Alphys looked hysteric as she shoved papers away from tables and emptied out more cardboard boxes. "I can't find the remote to control it!"

"That was my fault," said Undyne quickly putting on her helmet. "I'll go after it!"

Frisk dashed after Undyne. They were horrified to see that Mettaton had some sort of rocket launchers from the front that had activated.

"HELP MEEEEEE!" They scream in desperation as they whiz away to Waterfall.

The robot was fast and although Undyne was hurling spears at it every two seconds, it just kept missing.

As Frisk ran through Waterfall, they realise that the rocket launchers that had went off have set almost every house and shop on fire. The monsters were running amok, everywhere. Yells and screams filled the streets.

If Mettaton continues to hit in that direction, they will soon be in Snowdin. Frisk ran off to find the River person as Undyne carried on running after the robot.

"To Snowdin!" they say shakily.

To their dismay, Mettaton had been faster. Snowdin town looked like a wreck with trees and houses set ablaze. Windows were broken and the Christmas decor were all either burning or trampled by monsters running around in pandemonium.

 _No, this can't be happening ..._

Frisk coughed with all the smoke around. It was so hard to see. It was night-time but there wasn't any moon tonight. Was Papyrus alright? He should be at Undyne's though, right?

Then, cold dread washed over them. No one had delivered any message to Papyrus about Undyne being willing to see him. So that means …

They ran to the house, devastated to see it burning, the flames licking every brick, every piece of wood. Frisk clasped their hands over their mouth as they started to break down in fear and despair. They scream internally.

 _I messed up, again ..._

Then, they felt a gust of wind behind them and saw Undyne running to a huge crowd gathered near the welcome sign to Snowdin. They could see the tips of three long blue spears from the centre of the crowd where some smoke was rising. Was that Mettaton? As they watched Undyne bark at the crowd to part, they were torn between finding Papyrus and going over to Mettaton.

But it turns out they didn't have to choose.

Frisk felt a tug on their soul as it was put on stake at a battlefield. They turn to see … Sans.

"Sans!" they scream painfully as tears ran down their cheeks. Everything was wrong. How could this happen?

They gasp and sob openly, kneeling to the ground as he watched, silent fury emanating from him. Frisk trembled from the emotional pain of having everything they've worked for crash and burn … even hurting their friends in the process.

"You said, you wouldn't hurt Papyrus." Sans said menacingly, his voice full of rage. His left eye glowed a fiery blue.

"This is all your doing. You brought hell to our home, kid." He continued, raising his left hand.

"Goodbye."

A shower of bones fell from their sky and pierced their soul, the sound of their heart breaking was deafening.

But the scream of pain that left Frisk was silent.

* * *

When Frisk regained consciousness, they were on fours, kneeling and fighting for breath. They were shaking and still crying. How was that possible?

It was dark and the ground wasn't cold … in fact, it felt like carpet. Feeling confused, they looked around them, realising they were in Papyrus and Sans's house?

Oh right. They thought. Sans had killed them in the last run and this was their last save point.

So then that means …

"Hey, kid." Sans appeared on the stairs, glowering. "We need to talk."

And this was how Frisk found themself at Grillby's late at night with Sans. For a change, they weren't sitting at the counter, but at a table instead. There weren't many diners left. In fact, there was only two other monsters in the place when they got here. It was stiff and uncomfortable. Sans still looked a little angry but somehow remorseful at the same time.

Grillby looked at them in surprise. "We close at 1."

Sans gave him a thumbs up and then ordered a drink. Grillby asked for Frisk's orders but they weren't feeling particularly hungry or thirsty.

"My treat," Sans said.

They kept their head low and shook it. Frisk just didn't have the appetite. All they could think about was why Sans was being somewhat remotely civil with them after killing them in the last run. Frisk had no idea how to feel about this …

"You can relax," he mumbled. There was a pause before he continued, "Look, I'm sorry for bein' uhh … a little rough on ya the last time."

He went on when he received no reply. "I let my anger get the better of me. I regretted it the moment I did it. It's just that … that moment of anger and fear, you know? I can't afford to lose Papyrus or anyone I cared for anymore."

And he _did_ in fact regret it. For some reason, he was able to remember that he had killed Frisk before they somehow turned back time. He wasn't sure how it happened but he knew that Papyrus got hurt, and his first instinct was to take revenge at the child, and so he did. But right after he did it, he felt a feeling of unease, like he had wronged someone. For a moment there, taking in what he had done and all the fuzzy, kind of hazy feelings of suspicion that had been slowly turning into trust, he realised he jumped the gun too fast.

But before he could reflect on his actions more deeply, he blacked out, blinked, and saw that he was standing on top of the stairs in their otherwise, peaceful, untouched home. Sans heard a sound and came down the steps, seeing Frisk. That's when he decided it was time to talk to them and get some answers for real.

"I'm sorry, kid. It seems like we got off the wrong bone. I kinda think we should clear all this up and be honest with each other. Whaddya say?"

Frisk gave a stiff nod. In their mind, they weren't sure whether to feel relieved or wary. They just felt … kind of broken.

"So," Sans started hesitatingly. "I'm Sans the skeleton."

They look up and tried to say their name was Frisk. But no words came out. Clutching at their throat quickly, they managed a barely audible whisper, "Frisk."

Embarrassed, they look away. They had become weak. The last time this happened, it took several years. This time, it took 2 resets and a reload.

"You're a time traveler, right?" Sans asked, registering that they had lost their voice but deciding not to press on it. "Did you come from the future?"

They nod.

"Heh," he leaned back in his seat. "Were you happy? Were you friends with Papyrus and everyone else in the Underground?"

Frisk nods, missing everyone immensely. _Including you._

"So why did you come back here?"

They raise their head a little. "I wanted to save Asriel …" It came out as a whisper.

"What happened to him?"

"Chara killed him."

Sans swirled the drink in his glass, looking thoughtful. "So that kid _is_ a creep." Then he looked at Frisk intently. "But if your only purpose is to save Asriel. Then why did'ya bother with befriending Papyrus and others?"

Frisk leaned back in the chair, looking towards the ceiling. They didn't answer for a few moments, and just let themself be lost in their memories. They felt so far away now.

"I missed them." _I missed you._

Sans understood now. Perhaps not fully but he understood that they weren't a spy like he previously thought. Frisk was just a child faraway from home, looking to form ties with friends that once knew them. Though this was heartwarming to know, it didn't sit well with him that they seem to be forcing certain events or situations to happen that ultimately culminate into disaster.

"I just want you to know," he said. "You comin' back here is like playing God. And that has consequences. Are you sure you wanna go on like this?"

They buried their head in their hands. Now, they're not so sure. It just seems like every run they do, they do something utterly wrong and they just end up hurting their friends.

Frisk tried to hold themself together. "I do … but," they say in between uneven breaths, "... every run I do …"

Sans had to lean in to catch those words. They were so soft. He continued for them, "There are consequences, aren't there?"

"See, I think things happen or don't happen for a reason. And you comin' here is kinda messing with that, you know?"

Frisk didn't answer again. Sans sighed. If the child continues doing this, they really might end up with the same fate as Gaster.

"I may have told you this before. Never mess with Time. Now I don't know how you can keep coming back but you shouldn't abuse this ability. I think you should just let things be."

"And let Asriel die?"

Sans was torn. He struggled to answer. "It wouldn't be wrong … But you know, kid, if ya really want to save him, you can. You just might not like the backlash."

Frisk bit their lip. "What do you think I should do?"

He didn't answer for a moment, all sorts of thoughts around through his head as he weighed everything.

Finally, he spoke. "Save him. But don't change anything else."

* * *

 **A/N: Another heartbreaking chapter to write. But it seems that Sans and Frisk had finally reached a mutual understanding. Thank you for some of your comments on the last chapter. To address the rapidity of which things had escalated, I was trying to show that events unfold randomly, and too quickly for anyone to prepare for or even predict. It was supposed to be unexpected and shocking to suddenly find out the decisions you made would somehow twist and come back to bite you, even if you made those decisions with pure intentions.**

 **Well, I've talked too much so I'll go now. At the moment, I'm just going to mentally give Frisk a cookie and a hug. Finally, Sans got to know the truth.**


	7. SAVE Point: 3

Frisk sat in Grillby's, pondering long after Sans had left.

 _Save him. But don't change anything else._

Does that mean … does that refer to all the other things Frisk did for their friends along the way? Like having Undyne meet Alphys, recommending Papyrus to Undyne and helping Ghost-Mettaton with their dream?

Ah. So that's why they kept messing up. The time wasn't right. There was a reason why these people haven't met or become friends with each other at this point in time. But they foolishly went along and "played God", determining what should or should not happen even if they had done it out of good intentions.

Even though they had the ability to reset, save and reload, they had abused it too many times. And they had no right to decide how things play out in a timeline.

Speaking of timelines, has Sans finally trusted them?

Recalling the conversation they just had, they realised that although they had confided and admitted to Sans their purposes for coming here, he never revealed whether he trusted them, although it was certainly implied. Come to think of it, he also never gave them his reasons for his actions towards them the last few runs. And Frisk never found out if he had lied about not believing in time travel or only just realised its existence.

Well, in any case, at least they have reached some sort of mutual understanding of each other now. Frisk felt a little lighter, knowing that.

Closing their eyes, they let go of all their mistakes and everything they've been through the last few runs. It's time to begin anew. _And this time,_ they thought opening their eyes again, _they_ _won't mess up._

Suddenly they felt a tap on their shoulder. It was Grillby, indicating that it was 1 in the morning.

Thanking him, they got up and left Snowdin with newfound determination.

* * *

 _Heh. That certainly confirms things._ The human child was indeed a time traveler. And it took at least two … uhh time travelling incidents and a death for him to realise it.

Now, knowing their intentions, Sans was feeling guiltier than ever for being so harsh towards them. Although he couldn't remember what happened, he can recall emotions. Feelings of suspicion, doubt, anger, animosity. Although, these feelings were gradually ebbing away into a hesitant trust, the rage he felt when Papyrus got hurt led him to kill them without a trial.

 _Poor kid._ He sighed in his bed. He almost crushed them. He could feel it.

It seemed like talking to them had made them feel better though. Although they were still whispering when he left, at least they got a little more audible. That was something, right?

However, the knot of uneasiness continued to remain in his stomach. Still, he could have done more than talk to them. Perhaps he should tell them his reasons for being so cold previously. He kinda felt like he owed them an explanation.

And if he was lucky, maybe the kid could forgive him too.

* * *

Meanwhile, Frisk had just met Napstablook and Ghost-Mettaton, although they were a bit late at arriving in Waterfall. Before that, they had gotten them Christmas gifts from Gerson's shop (after helping him clean up the place). A new CD with spooky tunes for Napstablook, and a working microphone for Ghost-Mettaton. The pair were delighted to receive the presents and like the two previous runs, warmed up to Frisk quickly. Although they were still worried about doing something wrong, they told themself to relax and enjoy themself.

And gradually, as they helped out on the snail farm together, they did.

"Wow …" Napstablook spoke up as they finished off. "You're really good at farming snails …"

Frisk glowed warmly and it wasn't from toiling on the farm.

Ghost-Mettaton laughed as they entered Blooky's house. "Aww … Blooky's just happy to have so much company today!"

As they lay on the floor watching the cosmos, Frisk was genuinely happy to have met the both of them.

"Hey, Mettaton?" Frisk started softly. They were starting to get their voice back again.

"Yes, darling?"

"I think you, Blooky and Shyren will make a great band," Frisk giggled.

Napstablook turned to Ghost-Mettaton. "Can I really perform with you?"

"Why, of course my dear! We're going to be amazing in the future!"

Then, Frisk stood up, asking Napstablook for a favour. "Could you please help me deliver this to my friend, Papyrus? He lives in a house on the edge of Snowdin."

Blooky received the wrapped gift which was the lock-picking set that Frisk also bought from Gerson. "Y, yeah … Anything for a …"

"Friend?" Frisk finished, then nodded to assure him that they were in fact, friends.

They thought that the smile that Blooky gave after hearing that was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.

Frisk left the house feeling the most happy they've felt in a while. _They were doing just fine!_ They told themself. They hadn't mentioned Alphys and let things take its course. They were definitely on the right track.

They bid goodbye to Napstablook who had followed them out after trying to give him a hug. Then, they waited for Undyne.

When they heard her approaching, they headed towards the sound. They waved as soon as they were within sight.

Undyne stopped in her tracks and removed her helmet. "How can I help …"

Frisk started to get nervous but they told themself to calm down. "Please, I accidentally fell into the Underground …"

Undyne looked a little annoyed. This human child was so soft. It took a while to make out what they were saying. Good thing she can lip read. Undyne let out a long sigh. "I suppose you want to get home. You're lucky, punk. If the Royal Family hadn't adopted a human child before you came, I would have killed you on the spot right now."

Frisk twiddled their thumbs. "A, actually … I need your help with something first …"

Undyne narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

They reach over their shoulder for their haversack and opened it as the soldier took a step back. This kid wasn't going to pull out something to attack her right? Yellow eyes followed the child's hands as they pull out a …

"- diary," said Frisk stretching out their arms to show Undyne the green diary. "This is my diary … I lost the key and was wondering if you could … uhh, help me break the lock?"

Undyne narrowed her eyes. Well, it didn't look like an explosive. Again, a long sigh escaped her lips. She supposed, it couldn't hurt. After all, it'll only take her about five seconds.

"Put the thing on the ground and stand back, kid."

Frisk did as they were told and watched as she summoned a long blue spear. Undyne took aim, and with a confident smile, hurled the spear right at the centre of the lock. As it shattered, the diary flew into the air from the impact and landed back down at Frisk's feet.

They pick it up excitedly. "Wow! Thanks so much, Undyne!"

The gratitude was so pure it took her aback. Then, wiping her brow, she smirked at the human. "Heh. Well, get your ass home soon, punk."

And then, Undyne put on her helmet and marched off.

Frisk hurried to a quiet part of Waterfall near the Wishing Room. It was where they had found an abandoned quiche under a bench the last time they had been here. Only now, there was no quiche to be seen. The queer mixed feeling of excitement and uneasiness Frisk was feeling was compounded by the eerie atmosphere. Waterfall always had a serene, mysterious presence to it but today, it took on a more unearthly feel.

They sit on the bench, took out the diary and flipped to the first page with bated breath.

 _The taunting got worse and I got myself labelled some new names. Whatever. I got them sick bastards back by throwing some new punches. Of course, the teachers just happened to catch me in the act. They said they were worried. Well, I don't need their fake concern. Anyway, I strangely miss Mum but at the same time, I don't. She has never acknowledged my existence but sometimes I think she gives me a pitying stare as Dad hurls things at us. I feel like perhaps we may have somehow bonded mentally through the pain._

 _Haha. But who am I kidding? I'm still the illegitimate child that forced Mum and Dad to marry._

Frisk was shocked at the entry. Chara … Chara was born to a family like that? They turn to the next few pages with a quivering hand. The scribbling looks more untidy, with ink spots all over the yellow pages. It looks as if it was written hastily, furiously.

 _My drunk father brought home another woman so now I'm forced to spend the night in the friggin woods. I absolutely loathe it when he does that! I can never sleep at night. I'm skipping school tomorrow. Hell if anyone cares! I doubt they'll even notice._

 _Update: HAH! I friggin knew it! I came home to steal some money for food today and Dad was so drunk, he barely even recognised me. Humans are truly disgusting._

Then, on the side, was a scrawled phrase. _They should all die._

They bit their trembling lip. They were feeling so pained for Chara. But in spite of their strong desire to close the book right there and then, Frisk willed themself to turn to the next page, and the next. Then, they come across one that stood out. It was a relatively short entry.

 _I'm leaving this wretched place for good. If I were God, these people would be burning in hell._

They flip to the next page. What does that mean?

 _It's been a while … I'm living with monsters now. I accidentally found the entrance to the Underground and now their Royal Family has taken me in as their second child … I was surprised nobody killed me on the spot when they found me. Their firstborn son was the one who heard me fall. He's starry-eyed and simple. His father the King, is a pushover and his Mum is too-trusting. They're all naive. But I can use this to my advantage._

Frisk sucked in their breath as they turn to the last entry Chara wrote, though the diary still had a couple more empty pages to go.

 _I've got it. I've got a sketchy outline of a plan to destroy humanity. During my stay here, I've learnt that when a monster absorbs a human soul, they become unstoppable, their powers unparalleled. I just have to figure out a way to take my life … But putting that aside for now, I've just found out we're moving. All the monsters want to move deeper into the Underground. Toriel and Asgore are going to have us live in a new castle. So, I'll leave you here too. I probably won't be writing anymore for long anyway. I'll be busy with my plan. It sounds like genocide, but it really isn't. I'm going to become God, and enact my own justice on those cursed beings. Humanity will fall._

Frisk cried quietly as they closed the book. The emotions from this book felt were so raw, so undisguised. Chara must have been hurting for a long time. So this was why they had become so filled with hatred. How is Frisk going to change that though? There was no way they could undo the years of suffering Chara went through. So how are they even going to come up with a plan that will persuade them to change their mind when it's already been made up for years? Feeling depressed, they put the diary back into the haversack and noticed that there was an unopened present in it.

They pull it out. It was a red box with a silver ribbon around it. Of course, Papyrus's gift. Although Frisk already knew what was inside, they undid the ribbon and opened the present anyway.

The book full of Junior Jumble puzzles stared at them silently. Frisk flipped through the book, remembering Papyrus and Sans arguing over which was the harder puzzle: Junior Jumble or Crossword.

Smiling a little now, Frisk mentally solved one of the first few puzzles of the book. They hoped Papyrus was proud.

Then, it struck them. Just like this puzzle, they should resolve conflicts head on.

Yes, it's always good to have a plan. But Chara, at the end, was just a hurt and bitter child who never saw the good in people.

They don't need a gimmick or some fancy idea to "take them down". They just needed to talk to them, and love them. Just like how Papyrus solves his puzzles. Just like what Toriel had taught them to do at the Ruins. Hasn't it always been that way?

Frisk put the puzzle book back into the haversack. They can do this. They just have to do what Papyrus does. Believe in themself. And believe in Chara too. Surely, even the worst person can change. Everyone is capable of love and kindness.

What if they lose though? What if they fail? Frisk shakes their head. _No,_ they thought. _They can't lose motivation just because of their fears._ They don't care how many times it takes. They _will_ save Asriel and Chara.

And if they win? Frisk frowned. Was it possible to jump timelines? If so, they can save other timelines too! They'll do it. For everyone's freedom, for everyone's happiness. Frisk is determined.

Seeing the whole situation in a completely different light, they stood up and headed straight for New Home. They weren't going to let anything or anyone stop them now!

* * *

"Sans?" Frisk stopped right outside a brick building where MTT resort stood the last time they came here. At this point in time however, it just looked like any old regular hotel … with an additional skeleton leaning nonchalantly against the brick wall.

He grinned. "Heading to Asgore's? Why don't you grab some dinner with me before ya leave?"

It seemed like Sans really loves having life-changing, profound conversations over food. But Frisk wasn't going to question it. They were just glad he wasn't out to kill them or threatening their lives this time round. So they quietly settled down in the same restaurant that Sans had Frisk dine in while telling them about their promise to Toriel.

"I've never been here before but a friend of mine said the food's pretty good," Sans said, ordering steak for both himself and Frisk.

When it came, he lifted his glass. "Bone appetit."

Frisk who had been silent all this while, finally cracked and though they tried to hold back, the struggle to do so made it even funnier and the two of them started laughing.

Sans grinned wider. "Looks like I finally made ya laugh, kid. I'm glad."

They smile at him, finally feeling somewhat more relaxed around him even though it was still a little awkward.

Once again, there was that moment of silence where the both of them had their eyes anywhere else but on each other.

Finally, Sans cleared his throat. "Heya kid. Can I tell you a story?"

Frisk nodded, gesturing for him to go on.

"So. A long time ago. I met a scientist from the future, who managed to create a wormhole to the past. It caused quite the commotion in our small team of scientists back then, let me tell you. Though, to be honest, he was a weird guy and not many got along with him. But he gained my trust and we became good friends.

"It was kinda awesome, ya know? We, the scientists of my time, learnt a lot, travelling back and forth. The war between humans and monsters, the progress of technology, and all that jazz. However, my friend as it turns out, was workin' on something else back then and needed me and my brother's help.

"So I agreed, because I trusted my good friend. Though, I did make him experiment on me first. It turned out to be a partial success. I didn't manage to see timelines then but I can now, probably because of the rifts you caused in the space-time continuum.

"But that's beside the point. My friend quickly fell into depression before he could experiment on Paps. This was after he had a nightmare. He probably saw a bleak future because he suddenly became obsessed with it. Wanting to cheer him up, I helped him with it. Or at least, I thought I did …

"My friend … he died. I lost all signals of him. The machine crashed and wouldn't revive. He had shattered across time and space and it was my fault. Now Papyrus and I were stuck in present time-Snowdin with no way back.

"Afterwards, with my enhanced magic, I erased my brother's memories. It was less painful that way. From then on, I never messed with Time again. I don't want to lose nobody anymore. All I want, is for those I cared about to be happy …"

Frisk had nothing to say. It all made sense now. That's why Sans had been so guarded … he didn't want anyone finding out about his history. He had only wanted to protect Papyrus and himself. It was only natural for him to be suspicious of Frisk who had arrived here unannounced, but somehow knowing mostly everything about them.

They reach out and touched their hand to Sans's which was placed across the table.

He gave a small jump, shocked at the act. But he didn't pull away.

"Heh," he said, his grin a little sad. "I'm sorry for takin' so long to warm up to ya, kid."

Then, Frisk wordlessly lifted their plate and smashed it on Sans's face. When they took the plate away, they watch as the steak slid down his face to his lap. Sans froze, shock and confusion written all over his face.

"You need some meat on your bones." Frisk said with the straightest expression.

Sans remained silent. His expression unchanged. They bit their lip. Did they go too far?

Then, just as Frisk was about to panic, he started laughing, and he couldn't stop. They giggle too and soon, uncontrollable laughter filled the restaurant.

"Oh," he groaned, clutching his stomach. "Good one, kid."

They pass him a napkin and gave a mini bow. "Thank you."

"So uhh," Sans wheezed after the laughing had finally died down. There was a spark in his eyes.

"You were talking about kicking Chara's ass?"

* * *

The two of them ran to New Home. They both had no way of knowing if Chara's plan had already been executed or not so they decided that their best course of action was to get there as soon as possible.

Upon reaching the castle, they saw in the front garden which still looked so much like Home, a monster child with soft white fur picking flowers in the grass. He was wearing a green sweater and a heart-shaped locket around his neck. As he carefully picked his flowers, he hummed a soft, melodic tune. Frisk gasped.

His ear twitched and he looked up quickly. A gust of wind blew, carrying along flower petals and a sense of tranquility.

"I …" Frisk took a step closer.

The other child tilted his head to one side. "Hmm …? Who are you?"

"I'm Frisk …" they say a little breathlessly.

"Oh! Hi! I'm Asriel!" he replied cheerfully, coming over. "And … who's _that?_ " Asriel pointed to Sans who was standing further back.

Sans waved casually, almost lazily even. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."

Asriel looked excited. "Oh! You look like … you kind of remind me of Dr. Ga -"

"Asriel?" Another voice sounded. It sounded like a chime.

Everyone looked to the child that had just emerged from behind the door. It was a human child who looked about Frisk's age. If one didn't know better, they might even have mistook the both of them for twins. Like Asriel, they were also wearing a lime green sweater and had the same heart-shaped locket around their neck. The child tucked a strand of hair behind their ear as they came forward.

"I heard you talking outside ... " they said, staring inquisitively at Frisk and Sans. "Who are these people?"

Asriel squeaked. "Oh, Chara! I just met them! This is Sans," he pointed at the skeleton. "And this is Frisk!"

Chara's ruby eyes narrowed. "They're human."

Asriel clutched the flowers to his chest. "They are? Come to think of it … they kinda look like -"

"What are you doing here?" Chara hissed.

Frisk held their hands to their chest nervously. "Chara … I -" Then they shook their head. They had to be brave and steady their voice. "I want to talk to you."

"How did you find me?"

"That's not important," Frisk answered. "I just want to tell you I know what you're plotting. And I want you to stop it."

Chara crossed their arms. "Stop _what?_ "

"Your planned genocide."

A hush fell over the garden and suddenly, it wasn't so tranquil anymore. Asriel grew more and more nervous visibly. He ran over and tugged at Chara's sleeves. "H, hey, Chara, what's happening?"

"Shut up, Asriel!" Chara barked, shrugging the other child off. They took a step forward, smirking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Frisk opened their haversack and held up the green diary before throwing it gently at Chara's feet.

Rage crossed their face. "You stole that!"

"Look, it doesn't matter -"

"It matters!" Chara shrieked suddenly. "You are naive! Just like all the monsters here! You think that by stealing and reading this you can stop me?"

Frisk clenched their fists. "Chara, not every human is bad!"

"You've not seen the cruelties of this world yet, dear," Chara twirled a lock of their hair. "But soon, you will."

"No … I refuse to believe -"

"Let me tell you a little something, _Frisk._ " They draw out the pronunciation of the name in a distasteful tone.

"When I was 5, I said the same thing to Dad. I said 'Daddy, I refuse to believe you are a bad person' during a fight between my parents. _And then, before I knew what was happening, I was tied up and thrown into the pond to drown. Heh. I wish I did …_ "

A moment of realisation dawned on Frisk. So it was Chara's voice! They had heard their voice from the future after waking up from a reset. Was it because of those rifts in the space-time continuum that Sans was talking about?

But they had to put that aside for now. Frisk needed to focus on persuading Chara to change their mind.

"This isn't the way to resolve things," they said more quietly but firmly. "Playing God will result in dire consequences."

Chara turned scarlet with anger. "Why, you conniving little sneak. I always knew humans just can't keep their noses out of others' businesses …" Then, they pull out a glinting blade from the back of their pocket. "I guess I'll just have to cut it off then."

Bones shot up from the ground, inches away from Chara themself, forming some sort of bar. They stumbled back but catch themself as Frisk cried out to Sans to not hurt them. Glaring, Chara demanded, "What did you do?"

"Step back, kid." Sans spoke up, his left hand outstretched. "Brats don't get to play."

A soft snicker escaped Chara's lips. One second later, they had their arm wrapped tightly around Asriel and a knife to their throat. Asriel whimpered as tears welled up his eyes.

"Well _this_ , is how I like to play."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey! So my internet was experiencing some problems the past few days and I apologise for not being able to update as quickly as I could have. This story is coming to a close soon. It'll probably take one more chapter. I'll try my best to finish it off well although I can't promise a traditionally happy ending ...**


	8. SAVE Point: Beginnings

Their eyes widened in fear. Asriel! Frisk cried out. "No!" Then, they tried to reason shakily. "Y, you need him for your plan …"

They silently prayed for mercy. _Please don't hurt Asriel!_ The tension was thick in the air and Frisk felt that one wrong step would most definitely lead them to their doom. Now they're starting to doubt if rushing in here without a plan except to try and talk to Chara was the smartest move.

 _Why would Chara even listen? This kid is a cold-blooded murderer!_

As soon as they thought that, Frisk regretted it. Chara's anger at humanity was understandable. Though their actions, or future actions may be inexcusable, Frisk shouldn't give up hope here that they can be saved. Just like how Frisk was saved, Chara will be saved too!

However, hearing Frisk's desperation, the other child only threw back their head and laughed. "Not anymore, I don't! Right now, all I can think about is teaching you how unmerciful life is."

They press the knife a little harder on Asriel's neck. A trickle of blood dyed the snow-white fur.

"H, hurts …" He stammered in pain.

"STOP!" Frisk screamed, halting both Chara and Sans who had raised the bones from the ground to aim at them.

"Please don't do this …" Frisk pleads. "Asriel … Mu - Toriel … and Asgore, they all love you."

Chara's voice was as cold as ever. "Well they aren't human. Growing up, I struggled to find out why there was so much hate in this world. _Then, I realised, nobody loved because nobody could. All humans are after all, inherently evil._ "

"That's not true!" Frisk tried their best to keep their voice steady even though they were shaking in fear. "I … thought that once too … a lot of times, actually. As an orphan …"

Sans dared not breathe. An orphan? Fortunately, Chara was still and quiet now.

"I wasn't … liked in school," Frisk's voice grew smaller. But they took a deep breath and continued. "I thought the world was a hateful place … until I fell down here.

"Here, where I experienced kindness and compassion. Here where I realised there's both good and bad in everyone. Here, where I learnt to use my voice … so that, so that I can use it to make someone's day that little bit better … and, and in doing so, experience the good in this world too."

Chara started laughing. "Well, you're wrong. I'm rotten to the core. And I'll make you regret coming here and thinking otherwise!"

They dropped Asriel to the ground and charged at Frisk. Bones came at Chara from all directions but they dodged every single one of them nimbly.

"Sans - don't hurt them!" Frisk yelped as they narrowly missed Chara's knife.

"Kid, move away! I can't hit that little freak -"

"Don't do it!" Frisk jumped to the side as the knife came down.

Chara had a manancial smile on their face as they attacked Frisk. "Oh? Not fighting back?"

"Never," they panted.

Chara's knife slashed across Frisk quickly. Although they managed to roll away, the blade still caught their sleeve and cut a thin line through. They winced and clutched their arm as they started to bleed.

"Kid -" Sans said helplessly from the side. Oh how he so badly wanted to destroy that genocidal freak, if it weren't for Frisk's darned compassion.

Asriel who had fallen to the ground, had picked himself up. Ignoring the pain in his neck, he ran over and hugged Chara from behind. "Please, stop, Chara!" He cried.

Frisk got up slowly as Chara broke free from Asriel's grasp and shoved him to the ground roughly.

"Chara, I believe there's good in you," Frisk said firmly.

"I know that's true," Asriel sat up, grimacing at the pain. "Y, you didn't … you didn't kill me, you didn't want to -"

There was shriek as Frisk jumped at Chara just as they dived onto Asriel. The two children tumbled and rolled away. Finally, Frisk managed to get Chara off them. But they did not escape unscathed. They had cuts everywhere …

"You know why I wear this sweater?" Chara laughed softly. "It's to hide all the bruises …" They roll up their sleeves revealing horrible marks and scars.

"Do you really think people capable of doing this to a small child should be forgiven?"

Frisk felt a little lightheaded, seeing Chara's injuries. But they steeled themself. "That doesn't mean all of humanity is like that."

"We'll see," said Chara as they gently threw the knife at Frisk who caught it with confusion.

"Fight me!" they scream as they jumped at Frisk, throwing punches. "Die already!"

 _They just want justification and proof_ , Frisk reasoned quickly as they attempt to duck the blows. _Chara just wants me to fight back to reassure their perception on Humanity._ But Frisk wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. No matter how many blows they receive, no matter what Chara says … they weren't going to fight back. And if they die by their hands? They'll just come back, over and over again.

They refuse to give up on Chara.

Chara was more than furious, they were confused … and slightly scared. Who was this human child to tell them Humanity wasn't evil? This child who also experienced that evil for themself. Chara can tell, from their tone of voice and the way they speak. It's affected their speech. But now they are telling Chara not everyone is like that?

All they ever wanted was to be loved … And now, thinking back about it, Toriel, Agore and Asriel had given them that. They weren't naive. They were compassionate. Just like this kid here …

Then, Chara mentally slapped themself. _Wake up! They only love you because they don't know who you really are! No one will ever accept or forgive someone as twisted as you!_

Finally, Chara pinned Frisk down and was now choking them.

Sans had enough, he aimed the bones at Chara. However, as they came towards the child, Chara flipped Frisk so that they were now under Frisk. The bones stopped just in time.

Frisk threw away the knife. "I won't fight," they said. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't care how many times you kill me but I'll come back over and over again."

"Why?!" Chara yelled in their face angrily.

"Because I believe … I'm determined that there's good in you."

Chara's eyes filled with tears as they pushed Frisk away. They run towards the knife, picked it up and distanced themself from the other human.

It was impossible to convince them to fight. Chara couldn't predict their actions based on what they thought about humans. Their fear intensified. This kid, this … kid is an anomaly. They had sensed something different about Frisk when they made physical contact. They had some kind of power … some inexplicable hold over this world. But more than that, Chara felt the kindness and compassion radiating from them. That's not possible, they thought. All humans are incapable of love, and them, themself, most of all. But Frisk, Frisk was different … Frisk was determined to believe that even Chara could be good, even after all that they've done …

"Don't touch me!" they pointed the knife shakily at them. Then, with a cry of frustration, Chara dashed past everyone and headed towards the exit.

Sans took off after them, raising bones from the ground to stop Chara's path but they managed to sidestep his attacks. Frisk and Asriel sprinted behind Sans as well, trying to catch up to them.

Everyone chased them to the CORE where Chara started to roar with laughter. "Following me? I'll show you how rotten humans can be!"

They started to slash and cut at anything or anyone standing in their way, hurting the various monsters residing in the CORE, as well as machinery there itself. Fortunately, with Sans's bones blocking their attacks, as well as Frisk and Asriel shouting for everyone to watch out and clear the way, none of the monsters had turned to dust.

As Whimsalots, Madjicks and others fell before Chara, Frisk shouted themself hoarse to stop. And although Sans was trying his best to stop them, he had to reduce his damage and frequency of attacks so that he didn't hurt the surrounding monsters or technology around them. However, that wasn't the easiest task to do seeing as this kid was somehow really slippery and nimble.

Chara knocked over several machinery, trying to hinder their pursuers and slashed certain parts of the CORE to activate lasers or destroyed buttons and knobs to deactivate others. It was mayhem and soon parts of the building were sparking off and smoking. Sounds of technology crashing, computers dying and monsters in panic, filled the corridors.

Then, the CORE started blinking red all around them as an alarm sounded.

"I think the emergency alarm has been activated!" Asriel gasps breathlessly as they continue running after Chara. "The CORE might blow at any moment!"

With a roar of outrage, Sans dropped a large bone, nearly the size of the hallway they were running through, in front of Chara, just missing them by inches. The floor cracked, and they stumbled back. Almost simultaneously, there was an explosion behind Frisk and Asriel which sent everyone flying forward. The floor all around them started to fracture and give way. Before anyone had time to react, everyone standing in the middle of the corridor was falling onto the floor below!

They all crashed amidst the rubble as debris fell around them. Frisk coughed, they had landed while grabbing hold of Asriel. Sans was a little behind them using bones to shield everyone from the falling parts.

Chara was on the floor in front of them, they had landed miraculously unhurt. They stood up just as Frisk did.

"I'm not giving up on you!" Frisk yelled as they came closer a little.

The other child pointed the knife to them. "Don't come any closer or you'll regret it!"

"Please, Chara," Frisk waved the dust away with their hands. "I know you're bitter but people here love you and they want you to get better -"

At that moment, Chara charged towards them with their raised knife. Frisk closed their eyes and stayed rooted, anticipating the pain … but it never came.

Opening their eyes, they saw Asriel standing in front of them with his arms outstretched. He was shaking ever so slightly.

"C, Chara …" he said with a small wobble in his voice. "Please don't hurt Frisk!"

Chara's knife was still raised although it was frozen and unmoving. They had stopped just in time before Asriel got hurt.

"Get away, Asriel. You know nothing!"

"I know you!" Asriel blinked back tears. "Chara, we have the same locket because we're siblings. I'll always know you and I'll always love you …"

Their grip on the weapon loosened. They had never felt like this before. Asriel's words struck some chord within their heart. It was so strange but yet so comforting at the same time. Was this what they were yearning for? Was this what love feels like?

 _In the end, I'm just a bitter, sad child that was led astray, aren't I?_ Chara shook their head in frustration. They wiped away angry tears. How could they let such a small kid affect them like this? No, they were most definitely the most corrupted, most disgusting human out there. No one will ever love a depraved child like them.

Their eyes flickered from Asriel, to Frisk, to Sans …

Frisk caught that change in line of sight and adrenaline was pumped into their blood immediately. They had already jumped before Chara said anything.

"Let's see what your determination can do now!" they howled with laughter.

A split second later, the knife had left Chara's hand and Frisk's muscles tightened with fear and dread as they moved with instinct. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Bones that had been defying gravity just a second ago, crashed to the ground. Asriel's scream of despair pierced the air. The delirious laughter stopped abruptly.

And Frisk? Frisk just felt pain.

They had fallen to the ground as soon as the impact hit them. With a shuddering breath, they look down to see the knife in their middle as their blue sweater began to soak up blood. Willing all of their might, they pulled out the knife with an excruciating cry and cast it aside.

"FRISK!" Sans who had been standing directly behind them ran over and knelt to the ground, his hand on Frisk's shoulder who had somehow pushed themself to a kneeling position. They were shaking.

Frisk felt like their insides were about to rip themself in two simultaneously.

"You," Sans stood up. With a cold fury, he had summoned Gaster Blasters all around, each one pointing to Chara.

Frisk grabbed Sans's sleeve and pulled themself to a stand up. They clutched at their stomach. "Please … don't - don't do this …"

Gasping painfully, they limped slowly towards Chara who had their head hung low.

Then, they looked up, also trembling. "WHY did you save him?!" They shriek.

Frisk somehow pulled a gentle smile. "B, because ... I know that if I die, I'll c, come back and do this a,all over again … until you stop."

"And ... I - I know you will s, stop because deep down, y, you _are_ capable of love."

Chara was stricken with terror. "Don't come any closer!" But their legs stood rooted to the ground. This kid, why was this kid so _kind?_

Frisk was now a few feet away from Chara. They reach out.

"D, don't t, touch me …" Chara trembled, voice cracking. Their actions betrayed their words as they slowly sink to the ground.

But Frisk pulled Chara in for a hug, the both of them kneeling to the ground. "I forgive you, Chara," Frisk whispered as they held on despite some weak resistance.

Chara began to sob openly. Their wails filling the building.

Then, there was a new voice, harsher, louder. "What's going on here?! Asgore was informed that the CORE was going to explode!"

"Undyne! Wait! Those are my children!" Another voice, deeper, more filled with concern.

A third voice joined in. "Y, your majesty … the - the CORE is going to blow! We need to get out of here!"

Then, Frisk began to black out. They felt their grip loosen as they fell. Chara tightened their hold and caught them. "Frisk?!"

"Frisk!"

* * *

The world is a cruel place. It is filled with hate and jealousy among other atrocities. But the world can also be kind too, even though the bad always seemed to outweigh and hide the good.

But why be fixated with only the injustice of this world? Why choose to be clouded against the miracles that happen everyday?

Somewhere out there, someone is being torn down by harsh words that cut like razors.

Somewhere out there, someone else is loved and cared for by another.

No matter how bad things get, there's always hope for a better tomorrow. Even for someone that is "corrupted" through constant exposure to the downsides of life; it doesn't mean that things will continue to be so indefinitely. Everyone has both good and bad in them, and one only has to make a choice. Just like how one can make a choice as to how they want to spend the rest of their lives too.

One should live for the good of this world, one should live for the people they care for and love.

And that's what they had resolved to do.

* * *

Opening their eyes, they felt like they had just awoken from a deep slumber. Their vision was foggy and their body felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. There was a familiar smell, like something from their childhood.

Blinking several times, their vision finally cleared. Frisk turned their head to the left as saw a small child with white fur in a green sweater, reading a book on a chair.

"A, Asriel …" they whisper.

Asriel looked up, he looked surprised and dropped the book. His eyes sparkled as the shock turned to excitement and happiness.

"Frisk! You are awake!" he ran over, kneeling beside the bed that Frisk was apparently lying in.

They smiled. "Yeah … it's good to be back. H, how long was I out?"

"One week," Asriel replied quickly. Then he stood, barely able to contain his excitement. "Oh my goodness. Mum's healing magic works wonders! I have to go tell her!"

"Wait …" Frisk said quickly as the other child turned around to leave.

"Hmm?"

"Asriel … I - I missed you."

Asriel was confused at the emotion in that sentence. But taking it to mean that they missed him after not having been able to see him for a week, he grinned back. "I missed you too!"

Then, he hurried out of the room.

Frisk was left to take in the rest of their surroundings. The place looked a lot like the room they were given in Toriel's Home but they supposed, this was in fact, Chara and Asriel's room in New Home. Then, they realised what the familiar smell was. It was Toriel's butterscotch-cinnamon pie. A plate with a half-eaten slice was on the floor, next to the chair Asriel had sat on. They supposed he had been eating it as he was reading.

A moment later, hasty footsteps were heard approaching the room.

"Oh my dear!" Toriel exclaimed as she saw Frisk. She rushed over and checked their eyes, their head and their hands. Asgore was there too and he looked surprised and happy to see them.

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

Frisk shook their head. Then, Toriel pushed back the blankets and touched their middle lightly. They were surprised to see that their sweater had been knitted perfectly back together.

"Does that hurt?"

They shook their head again. They were feeling no pain from anywhere, just a little weak and lethargic.

Toriel squealed and hugged Frisk gently. She was getting teary-eyed. "Oh, you poor dear! We were so worried!"

Asgore stood awkwardly at the frame of the door. He smiled sincerely at Frisk. "We're so happy you are awake and okay."

Toriel started sniffing. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't manage to save you …" Asgore came over and put a hand on his wife's shoulder comfortingly.

Frisk looked up at Toriel, feeling both homesick and at home at the same time. "Mu - T, Toriel … thank you for healing me."

Toriel came down and hugged them again. "Thank you for saving Asriel and Chara."

Asgore nodded in gratitude. "We never knew how much the poor child has been suffering."

"Where is Chara?" Frisk asked.

"They're …" Asgore scratched his head. "They're doing better. At first they've locked themself in their room for days. But with time, your friends, Sans and Papyrus as well as Asriel, managed to get through to them."

Then, as soon as he finished, Asriel and Chara came into the room with Papyrus trailing behind.

"Speak of the devil," Asgore chuckled.

Toriel brushed Frisk's hair back and kissed them on the forehead. "Try not to move too much, okay?" Then her gentle tone became more firm. "And no getting out of bed."

Asgore and her quickly left the room, warning the rest not to be too loud as they went.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed immediately, causing everyone else to laugh. He came over and hugged Frisk tightly.

Then he started to cry and Frisk laughed heartily, patting him on the back.

"I am so happy you are back!" Papyrus said in between sobbing. "I don't know what I'd do without a cool friend like you!"

Asriel came over and beckoned Chara to come too. They shuffle over hesitatingly.

"Hey, Frisk," they waved.

"Hi!" Frisk replied cheerfully.

Finally, Chara smiled. A genuine, radiant smile. "Thanks for … for everything, Frisk. You gave me hope in humanity … and in myself."

Asriel linked arms with Chara and grinned enthusiastically, giving them a thumbs up. Chara gave a small laugh and jokingly pushed the other child away.

Frisk tried to sit up. It took a lot of effort though nothing was hurting. They listened to everyone make conversation and have fun.

Then, Undyne came in too, with Alphys behind her. "Heya, punk!" She greeted Frisk. "You kids really messed up the CORE the other day! Alphys had to spend a week repairing it!"

"W, well … I did it thanks to your help, Undyne …" Alphys laughed nervously.

Undyne thumped on Alphys's back hard, almost knocking her over. "Look at her, being so formal even though we're friends! It's adorable!" She chortles loudly as Alphys turned red.

Frisk chuckled too and had a good time catching up with everyone. Apparently, Chara had opened up, mostly to Asriel about their feelings while being counselled by Sans and Papyrus. Although Papyrus claims that Sans doesn't do anything and boondoggles all day which brought about another fresh bout of laughter.

Suddenly, they felt really melancholy and that's because they realised, they won't be here for long. Frisk just remembered their plan to jump timelines to save _everyone._

"Someday," Asriel said with eagerness in his voice. "We'll all go to the surface and see the sunset!"

They tried to hold back tears as everyone agreed with him.

"Frisk? What's wrong?" Chara asked, noticing their struggle. "Are you in pain?"

"I …" they quickly wipe the tears away. "I'm just overcome with …"

"Children!" Toriel said disbelievingly as she came into the door. "I told you not to excite Frisk!"

She came in and adjusted the sheets and checked on all of their vital signs. After she was done, she shooed everyone away, saying that Frisk needed rest.

Then, turning to Frisk, she searched their face. " _Is_ everything okay though?"

They nod reassuringly.

Toriel looked happy and patted their head. "That's wonderful! I'll go bring in some pie for you, I've just baked a fresh one!" Then she went out of the door again.

Frisk fought with themself. They badly want to call her back, and never let go of her, but they know they can't do that. They were leaving soon …

But they were already missing everyone so much.

Frisk sobbed quietly. They didn't want to leave them but they wanted to guarantee everyone's happiness too. They wanted this exact scene to happen in every single timeline. Asriel saved, Chara finally happy … it was perfect. And it was going to get better. Someday, they're all going to get to the Surface and it will be just like what Frisk had experienced. Monsters and humans living together in harmony again.

Mum enjoying her job as a school teacher …

Asgore trying to win back Mum by cutting out a hedge in the shape of her ...

Papyrus earning his bonus from his good work in Law Enforcement …

And so much more ...

Frisk thought of all the memories they've shared … they had come a long way but their journey wasn't over yet. They were determined to repeat this, over and over again in every single timeline with just as much compassion, with just as much love as they can give.

A part of them yearns to stay and live out the rest of their life with them though … They love and cherish everyone to bits. But if they had to sacrifice themself for everyone's ultimate happiness, they will.

Then, a voice disrupted their thoughts. "What did Grillby say when Comic Sans walked into his pub the other day?"

Frisk sniffed and giggled as they wiped away their tears. "What?"

"We don't serve your _type_ here."

The both of them broke down laughing. Frisk sat up as Sans, who had been leaning against the doorframe, came inside the room. It was getting dark but they could just make out his silhouette.

"Need the lights on?" he asked.

Frisk shook their head. "Leave it …"

Then, Sans walked to the side of the bed. A moment later, they both of them heard a wail of dismay. It was Toriel and straining their ears, they heard her chide Asgore for not taking out the burning pie.

The both of them smiled at each other.

"So kid," Sans said, sitting down. "How are ya?"

Frisk propped themself up with the pillow. "Good."

"So those were tears of joy, huh?"

They smile sadly. "Yeah …"

"You got your happy ending after all. Asriel and Chara are saved. What more can a kid ask for, right?"

Frisk nodded and looked at Sans. "You know, you once told me you believe I can do the right thing."

Sans grinned. "I'm not wrong."

"Then …" Frisk continued. "Do you think saving other timelines would be the right thing too?"

He looked surprised. "Saving other timelines?" Then he sighed. "Remember what happened the last time you tried to do things the 'right' way?"

He had a point there. But now that their journey in this timeline has culminated into this happy resolution, it was proof that this was the "right" ending … right? So they just have to repeat it in the rest of the timelines.

"Welp," Sans said after a moment of silence. "I guess everyone has their own, different version of 'right'. In my version, you stay here and continue living with us while I consider myself lucky I don't have to regret befriending you too late."

Frisk felt their heart breaking. "Don't say that, Sans …"

"I'm glad … we're all glad to have met you, kid. So please don't leave us."

They left the bed and hugged Sans wordlessly.

"Dammit," he said softly. "Why do you have to be so altruistic?"

They cry silently on his shoulder as they let themself into the darkness. Determination had given them their ability to SAVE, RESET and REWIND. Now … Now, they had to acquire the ability to jump timelines.

Love is a funny thing. It's that fuzzy feeling of warmth that one feels when they are attached to something or someone. It's also that emotion that saved Chara from their hatred. It triumphs over bitter emotions and helped Frisk comfort Flowey in another time. Love was what enabled them to forgive their past, forgive the injustice rampant in this world. But it's also that heart-wrenching pain that pushes them to give everything up for their family and friends … Even if it means they will never be able to live out their life with them.

A faint glow of orange. It was getting brighter and brighter. Their heart tightened as the wisps of light formulated the word "JUMP".

 _Ahh … it hurts. It hurts so much._

"Sans, I'll miss you too …" they whisper, replying the faint voice they heard at the very beginning, before they had rewinded themself to this time.

It was so warm, so … comfortable. A few more seconds, Frisk told themself.

Then, they reach out and lightly touched the button to "JUMP". Light flared from the boxed words and they enveloped Frisk, getting brighter and brighter.

Sans hugged as tightly as possible, as if that would prevent them from leaving. A second later, he was kneeling on the floor, hugging himself.

 _Goodbye, kid._

* * *

It was an odd feeling when you know something that everyone else doesn't. Or rather, when you remember something that everyone else doesn't.

Sometimes, going about his day, hanging with his friends, Sans would wonder if someone was missing, even though that's impossible … right? After all, they had made sure every monster left the Underground when the barrier was broken. No one was left behind …

Perhaps Gaster was coming back to haunt him. Gaster, who had shattered across space and time. But, thinking harder, that wasn't quite it, either. There was someone else that Sans didn't manage to save from Time.

He knew that something definitely happened though. Because he can no longer see any timelines. He once mastered this ability and was able to see them all at will. Now ... now there was nothing. Sans could only see one timeline, this timeline.

It had all become a singularity.

Feeling particularly reflective that day, Sans decided to open the drawer under his desk. He had kept it locked for years. For some reason, he remembered putting something inside and locking it up with a heavy heart. That was a long time ago though, and he had never been able to bring himself to open it up … until now.

He found the key to the drawer and turned the lock with a click. The whole house suddenly sounded quieter even though it was already night-time and Papyrus was sleeping peacefully.

Sans pulled out the drawer with apprehension. Then, his eyes widened as he saw a slightly crumpled, folded-up piece of paper. He reached for it and unfolded it slowly. It was a note, and had three words on it …

 _I'll miss them._

A tidal wave of sorrow washed over him. What was this? Why was this feeling so familiar? He must have felt like this once before … but he can't remember when.

As he went to sleep that night, Sans had a dream. There was laughter … it came from a child. He walked around Snowdin forest, chasing the sound. Then, there it was, right in front of him. A child with brown hair wearing a striped blue sweater. They were facing away.

He could hear them crying quietly now. They were suddenly glowing and pieces of them started breaking away into the air.

Time didn't like anomalies.

Sans walked towards them slowly. He called out to them but no sound came out from his mouth.

"I did it …" the child spoke softly, still facing away from him. "I finally did it."

Then, Sans started running as more pieces started to break away.

"Thank you, Sans. For always believing in me …"

They shatter just as he reached them. He was grasping at air and light. The glow faded away and Snowdin forest disappeared into darkness. Sans started to tear.

"I'll miss you ... Frisk."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait. It's finally over. The last chapter of this fanfiction. /wipes sweat off brow**

 **I'm happy with this ending even though it broke my heart to write it ... However, this idea of messing about with Time and its consequences was on my mind for the longest time and I had to get it out. Therefore, it inspired this fic. I wrote this with the ending already somewhat in mind; Frisk sacrificing themself for their friends. In a sense, this can be considered a happy ending since Frisk _did_ attain all of their objectives ... yet at the same, their own safety or life was never part of the deal. I thought this idea was so beautifully sad and I hope I was able to somehow convey the complex emotions that came with this ending effectively ...**

 **On a side note, the part regarding "they" deciding to live for those that love and care for them, that was meant to be applicable to both Frisk and Chara. In this fic, these two characters made a really interesting parallel and I thoroughly enjoyed developing it.**

 **As for the chapter title, Beginnings, I named it as such because at the end of this chapter, Sans lets go of Frisk. This marks a new beginning, or life if you will, without the shadow of Frisk haunting him. Sans and friends finally move on.**

 **I know I'm not the best writer out there but I sincerely thank everyone who had followed this short story from the bottom of my heart. I realise I will never do justice to these brilliant characters by Toby Fox, so I'm super grateful for everyone who stuck with me and this tale despite all my shortcomings and inadequacies.**

 **And with that note, I'll be signing off here. Thank you and I wish everyone the strength to look ahead and stay determined for the rest of your days~~**


End file.
